


Hooked

by findingconfidence



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:01:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24546562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findingconfidence/pseuds/findingconfidence
Summary: It all came down to this: A terrible accident, strange feelings, and a new friend. After that, nothing was the same.A Kagehina Fanfiction
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	1. Prologue

Practice went as per usual for the infamous Karasuno High School volleyball team. The group of boys had just concluded repeating their usual activities: spiking, receiving, blocking, and three on three matches. However, for some reason, the team's middle blocker and setter were caught in an argument. They bickered endlessly as they worked to take down the nets, no end in sight for the two.

They worked at opposite sides of the net, untying and loosening knots throughout the heated debate, which seemed to once again be centered around the orange haired boy's height. "Shorty or not, I could kick your ass if I wanted to, ya know!" He yelled as he loosened the last part of the net.

"You really think so? You must be stupid."

"You're the stupid one, Bakayama!"

"Really? Then prove your point, dumbass, try and take me on." Something about the huskiness in his voice made Hinata's stomach flutter strangely, but he wouldn't let a stomachache slow him down from beating him up.

Daichi spoke up from the corner of the room, where he had the bag of volleyballs thrown over his shoulder like Santa's bag of Christmas joy. It certainly felt like such when the team finally got to practice after a long, torturous day of school. Finally, Daichi yelled to the boys, "No fighting! Especially not in the middle of packing up. Get it done and head home." A smile appeared and his tone became sweet before he finished and said, "I'll see you two at tomorrow morning's practice." Again came an abrupt change in mood, as his glare toward the pair whipped them both into shape.

They folded the net and put away the beams at each side, placing each at their usual locations. Once that was done, they each rushed to the club room to collect their stuff, reapply deodorant, and change an article of clothing or two. They faced away from each other as they stripped themselves of their sweat soaked t-shirts and replaced them with those they had brought, but Hinata broke their unspoken rule of privacy, turning his head just enough to get a view of Kageyama in his peripherals, but not enough for the ravenette to notice.

Hinata's muscles tensed as his eyes scanned over Kageyama's tanned and toned ones, each of Kageyama’s muscles flexing triumphantly with his movements. Sweat still glistened off of his body in the light of the moon that shown seldom through the window, making it hard for Hinata to pull his eyes away when the tall boy shifted to his left, allowing him to possibly spot him as Hinata, with his eyes still being pulled back to Kageyama’s body, finished dressing. Kageyama ignored Hinata’s gawking, though it didn’t quite bother him. Hinata tried his best to hide his red painted face as they finally grabbed their things and began their commute home.

"So about that fight..." Hinata began as the two descended the stairs, a devilish smirk on his face.

"I'm not up to it."

"W-what?" Hinata stuttered, unlocking his bike quickly from the rack and guiding it alongside him. He found his sparky attitude again soon after. "You were way into the idea a minute ago! Come on, take me on!" 

"Like I said, I don't want to." Kageyama glowered at the red head, making Hinata tighten the grip he had on his bike handles. Hinata pouted at his comment.

His mood changed quickly, though, as his head perked up and his eyes went wide with wondrous joy. "It's Friday! You should come over and practice tosses with me!"

"No. I shouldn't. I'm tired as hell and you should be too." His voice was deadpan, almost bored.

"Awwh, come on! Why not?" Hinata waited for a response, puppy eyes at the ready.

"I just told you, dumbass, I'm tired as hell." Kageyama looked down at him from the corner of his eye to see those puppy eyes and his lower lip puffed out just enough for his cute pout to be made clear. A light blush formed across Kageyama's face, hidden by the shadow of his bangs. "Fuck," he breathed, continuing at full volume, "fine. But we're going to mine."

Hinata's eyes lit up, like a child's when they receive a new toy, and he bounced up and down, his bag lifting and hitting his back loudly. Kageyama rushed to put his hands on both of Hinata’s shoulders, hissing, "Boke, stop, you're going to wake up the whole damn neighborhood!"

Hinata, finally coming to a stop like a basketball bouncing itself to death, stood still with Kageyama's eyes glued to his own, his hands still placed on the smaller boys shoulders. They stayed like that, the simple touch oddly comforting to the both of them. Kageyama, upon hearing the expedient pounding in his chest, removed his hands from the smaller boy's shoulders, as if removing his hand from boiling water.

"B-bet you can't beat me there, orange," Kageyama called out, trying to conceal his flustered face. His heart sped again.

‘What the fuck is up with that?’ Kageyama thought scornfully as they ran. The two sprinted the rest of the way to Kageyama's home, Hinata being chased down the whole way as he simply jumped on his bike once he realized it was there beside him, until eventually, they arrived, both panting, sweating messes as they fell on Kageyama's porch.

They passed to each other, practicing their receives and spikes tirelessly. The spikes, obviously, sent the same exhilarating feeling through Hinata, making adrenaline course through him like a drug. When the two managed a particularly fast quick, they both let out exclamations of triumph, both as happy as could be at Hinata's progress, or as Kageyama thought, their progress. Kageyama would never admit it out loud, though.

As time went on, Kageyama grew tired beyond belief, to the point where he was missing tosses from Hinata. Kageyama, upon missing his last ball from Hinata, simply grabbed it and shoved it in his gym bag, a lazy scowl on his face.

"Come on! A little longer," Hinata whined, clearly still energetic.

"I'm beyond done," Kageyama panted, "I'm going to bed. Head home. That's it."

"No way, just one more toss!" The ginger pleaded.

"Hinata..." Kageyama threatened, donning a menacing face as he shriveled the boy's spirit with his gaze. Hinata gulped down the anxieties that Kageyama had just shot into him, then sighed.

"Fine. I'll go..." Hinata grabbed his gym bag and slung it over his shoulder, slouching sadly, trying his best to make Kageyama feel even an ounce of guilt for sending him home early, or at least, Hinata's definition of it. He failed in his attempt, as Kageyama simply grunted in his direction.

Before Hinata could walk off, he saw something out of the corner of his eye: a movement, the smallest wave of Kageyama's hand, as if he were going to say something. Finally, Kageyama spoke.

"Goodnight," he called out to the short boy at the fence, who was preparing to enter through to the front yard. Again, they stood staring, hearts racing. Kageyama wanted to engrain that sight of Hinata in his head, as he stared in astonishment at the taller boy. He scolded himself.

Hinata, realizing the pause, turned in a flurry, saying, "goodnight!" He hid his blush as he sprinted home, an unfamiliar squeeze in his chest.

He ran faster, hoisting himself onto his bike as he gained his fullest speed. He put all the energy he had left into his legs as he propelled himself forward, relishing the feeling of adrenaline coming back to him. He smiled at the sensation. He traveled the winding, eerily lit streets like that, pedaling as fast as he possibly could to balance out the dark outside he traversed in. He cringed at the creepy setting, a setting which was usually nothing but bright and inspiring on his way to and from school. It irked him.

He put up his bike in his back yard, securing it to the fence by a chain. He walked back to the door, slow, tired feet elongating the process. As he reached toward the handle, he froze, fear filling his systems at the whine in his ears: a terrible moaning, cries from the other side of the door. His hands shook violently as he pulled the door open in a rush to help his family.

There, at the bottom of the stairs, lied a small, bloodied figure. Their foot was bent in an awkward shape, the most miserable groans of pain scratching out from her throat. Hinata shook violently, running over to fall down on his knees with a crash beside her. Sirens blared as emergency services neared, blocking everything from his mind. His mother and his grandmother cried. The moans of the girl on the floor still came out in awkward, strenuous bursts, and the sound called attention to the wound. As the stretcher came, the red-headed girl being pulled into the vehicle, Hinata’s heart sped and tears began to flow with no sign of stopping.

In a desperate, worn voice, Hinata whispered: “Natsu.”


	2. Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is left in the dust as to what Hinata is going through. After days of waiting for explanation, he’s all out of patience, and decides to ask for that explanation outright.

The next morning during practice, Hinata wasn't present, and didn't call or even send a text to warn his team's setter- his closest friend. That was all it took to piss off Kageyama, but when he wasn't present during school three days later, Kageyama became more worried than pissed. Throughout the day, he'd sent four different texts, all of which were met with the Read icon. 

Tuesday and Wednesday went by with no sign of Hinata's return. Kageyama sent more texts, all of which continued to be met with the ‘Read’ icon. The frequency at which Kageyama was seeing that word was beginning to irritate him more than Hinata's absence.

During Karasuno's morning and afternoon practices, Kageyama felt as if there were something wholly missing. Of course the other members of the team were also off because of Hinata's absence, as Daichi could be caught with a sad face on when caught off guard and Nishinoya's and Tanaka's energy could be summed up better with the word anxiety than excitement, but Kageyama's worry was more obvious than any other's. His worry drove him to be tyrannical, yelling more than he spoke, and his every move was more driven as well. He put more force behind his movements, the ball when he handled it almost threatening. He was reverting back to his old self without Hinata, and it was scaring himself as much as it was his fellow team members.

Thursday night, Kageyama got a text from Daichi— a warning.

Daichi: Hey, I just got a call from Hinata. He'll be at practice tomorrow, but he'll be a bit off. He wants to keep to himself for a bit, so respect that. See you tomorrow.

Kageyama was angry beyond what he thought possible. Hinata gave Daichi a call before him, and it was basically to tell everyone to piss off.

Or perhaps he was only mad because that put him below Daichi on Hinata's list. He 'tched' to himself, then tried his best to get back to his homework, but his mind would not stop drifting to Karasuno's short, beloved middle blocker.

The next day, Hinata showed up just as Daichi said he would, but what Kageyama was met with worried him more than anything he’d imagined this would be. 

"Hi guys," Hinata greeted weakly as he entered the club room.

It was clear as day that he hadn't been sleeping. His eyes were nearly shut completely, as if yearning for some form, any form, of rest. The thick orange strands of hair drooped, as if he had just entered from the pouring rain. His team’s practice uniform was wrinkled and well worn, despite looking fine only days ago. The boy held a smile as best he could, but it was clearly more effort than it was worth. His smile persisted in spite of that.

The club room was silent, with the exception of a few shuffling feet. 

Kageyama's breaths chased after one another in an unsteady rhythm at the sight of the boy. It were as if his previous bright, annoying attitude had been deflated. He was a bright red ruby only a few days before, but as Kageyama stared at Hinata then, he saw nothing but a dull pebble. Hinata didn't feel far from that, either.

"Glad to see ya back, dork!" Nishinoya greeted back with a grin, causing the others to say their own greetings before they went back to their activities, soon leaving the club room for the gymnasium. Nishinoya pranced up to Hinata as he moved into the club room awkwardly, his feet dragging with each step. 

"Yeah! Glad to see you back at it," Tanaka added with another wide grin, turning to face him. Noya patted Hinata on the back, a move that he responded to with a soft, abrupt gasp, panic flitting through his eyes as they popped open.

Noya's head snapped to find Hinata's eyes, a worried expression on his face. "You good, man?" He asked.

Hinata made a face that said 'why would you need to ask?' as he responded. "Yeah, no, I'm great, thanks."

As Kageyama's eyes followed the conversation, he knew Hinata was far from it. At practice that day, he didn't act it at all, either. He was drained of energy before he even got on the court. His spikes weren't as fast, and his receives were as sloppy as the beginning of their first year at Karasuno. Hinata was crumbling as if he'd hit his peak and had no where to go but down. In the days following his debut back and his daily life with the team, Kageyama only gathered more evidence to support that conclusion. By lunch that Friday afternoon, Kageyama had concluded to himself that Hinata wasn't himself anymore, and there was no way that this was without a cause.

Hinata, rather than work on volleyball during lunch, sat with Sugawara at a nearby table, slouching over his food with a blank expression as he muttered. That's the first major change, thought Kageyama. Something must be wrong.

Usually, when Hinata was having an off day, practice wouldn't go well and the team was understanding. However, he usually still had his cheery attitude even as his focus was lost, and his energy would still be as high as ever. ‘Nothing lines up,’ thought Kageyama.

From his spot by the vending machines, cloaked by the crowd of students, Kageyama listened to Suga and Hinata’s conversation, or rather, the lack thereof.

"Thanks, Suga," Hinata said, pulling his lips up into a grateful smile, "for letting me sit here today. I just didn't think that I could do practice with Kageyama." 

"Why not?" Suga asked politely, taking up a cautious tone. Kageyama leaned in to listen to his reply, trying to be sure he would hear it.

"I... I just don't..." he began slowly. His eyes seemed to search his plate for the right words, but he never seemed to find the words he was looking for. His chest caved slightly, deepening his slouch, before he finished. "I'm just really exhausted from practice."

Kageyama didn't believe that in the slightest. He was exhausted long before that morning's practice, and Sugawara knew that too.

The two finished lunch with much less frequent replies, with Nishinoya, Daichi, and Asahi all joining the table throughout their remedial conversation, adding their own comments to liven up the ambiance, and perhaps help lift up Hinata's too. Kageyama sat on the grass against the wall that day as he ate, trying to listen for Hinata, but he didn't hear another word from him after others joined Suga and Hinata. For some reason, he wanted to be there with him instead of Suga. A dense pit in his heart pulled him to the group, but Kageyama didn't want to intrude on their efforts to lift his spirits. Instead, he opted to wait patiently until that evening's practice, swearing that he'd find out whatever was the matter.

That night's practice came and went just as that morning's had, the same empty looking and low-spirited Hinata bounding around the court. When practice had concluded, Daichi decided that rather than force Hinata to stick around longer than he was capable of, he would let him leave as soon as Ukai gave him the okay to go, which happened to be the moment Daichi called them off practice. Hinata collected his water bottle and the jacket he threw off mid-practice before he left to grab the rest of his stuff. He was so slow that by the time Coach Ukai had finished speaking and the team had begun working together to take down the net and clean, Hinata had only just left the gymnasium.

Kageyama, upon seeing he him leave, rushed through everything he did almost clumsily. The other members gave him wary looks as he sped through the few jobs he felt obligated to do, but Kageyama continued to rush out to catch Hinata, slamming his feet on the ground and pushing himself forth at speeds unbeknownst to even himself.

He stood panting at the frame of the club room door, one hand propping himself against it to hold himself up. He found Hinata staring at him in pure confusion, pausing with one arm out of its sleeve as he put it on.

"I-I... uh, hi, Kageyama," Hinata stuttered with an anxious smile, "what's up?"

Kageyama sighed, then took a long moment just to take a deep, filling breath. He heaved it out, one string of words whose volume caused Hinata to jump a foot or so off the ground: "DUMBASS! WHAT'S UP WITH YOU! YOU'VE BEEN QUIET ALL DAY AND IM ACTUALLY GETTING WORRIED FOR YOU!" They were both panting at that point, Hinata out of fear and Kageyama because he was out of breath, Hinata's face heating up.

"Y-you were worried for me?!" Hinata exclaimed, shoving his jacket the rest of the way on. After he finished donning the jacket, he shook his head, squinting his eyes and frowning as if in concentration. The redness of his face disappeared, and he opened his eyes back up as he grabbed his things. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Thanks, but I have to get going." With that, he left. 

Kageyama gaped at the abrupt change in attitude. He sounded twenty years older and thirty years wiser when he pushed Kageyama's comment off. The taller boy's shoulders relaxed as he collected his things own things, being sure to get them fast enough to catch back up with Hinata. He sprinted down the stairs and off of school grounds until he was finally at Hinata's side. He heard a groan from the ginger when he'd finally caught up.

"Hinata," the ravenette huffed out between breaths, "seriously, what the fuck is up with you? You haven't been acting like yourself. And you know what, I am worried, okay! The whole damn team is worried."

"Kageyama," Hinata began threateningly, uncharacteristic of the himself, "I am fine. Nothing is wrong with me." He looked at the sidewalk with a narrowed brows. "And that was pretty fucking rude for the fact you're worried."

"I- what? That wasn't rude," Kageyama responded, genuinely confused, both at the comment and at his use of the word ‘fucking.’

"Of course it was rude!" Hinata bursted out, turning to stop in front of him. He held a pointing hand up to Kageyama and jabbed him in the chest every few words, his anger rising quickly. "Every damn thing you say is rude! It's like you can't see that I'm... I'm." He stopped, his eyes spacing out and searching for something that simply wasn't there. "Ugh!" He yelled, "just go, Kageyama, for fucks sake! You're not helping!" 

"I..." Kageyama began, about to turn on his heel and leave. But he didn't— he couldn't. It just didn't feel right to him, so he put on a determined face and denied his request. "No. I'm not leaving. I'm worried, Hinata. I-I'm fucking worried about you." His words grew quieter the longer he spoke, and his face became hot with such a confession, as trivial as the confession may have been. So much for Daichi's warning, thought Kageyama.

Hinata sighed heavily, his irritation clear on his face. "Fine." 

Kageyama waited, the crickets and the kicking of dirt and concrete up from the pavement filling the quiet between them. When the taller boy felt that he'd waited long enough, he commented, barely audible. "Aren't you going to tell me what happened?" 

"Why," Hinata countered, "would you need to know?"

"So that I can fix it. Whatever the fuck is wrong. I want to fix it," Kageyama replied in a hushed voice.

"Well, it's not something that you can fix," Hinata countered once again.

Kageyama's tone became something much more gentle—almost fragile—with his next reply, making Hinata's heart shatter. ‘I shouldn't feel like that,’ thought Hinata, ‘I don't have any reason to feel broken. I'm not her.’

"Just tell me so I know how to help you." Again, quieter. "Please."

Hinata sighed, a rock dropping from his throat and down to his stomach like a pebble crashing to the floor harshly, the weight of gravity on it increasing the speed of its descent. It was like Kageyama’s words had pushed him over the edge, the resolve he’d had gaining a chink in its armor as the pebble finally hit it. When Hinata finally accepted the crack in his armor, emotion already beginning to escape, he spoke. "Okay, but we're going to mine."

~

The two had walked the rest of the way in silence, Kageyama too scared to rekindle Hinata's anger and Hinata too scared to make things awkward. It wasn't quite a comfortable silence, nor was it a short walk (considering it would have been a thirty minute bike ride), but they trudged through it. After about double the time it would've taken Hinata by himself, they arrived at their doorstep.

"Don't talk to anyone. Don't look at anything. Just follow me up to my room," Hinata instructed, looking at Kageyama as he did. He had on a determined expression, like a ball were coming toward him and he were deciding the exact location to send it. It reminded Hinata of that feeling: of being at the summit. He smiled softly, unaware he was still looking at Kageyama.

And Kageyama was looking back.

Hinata's heart jumped, making him wake up from whatever sudden feeling took over him. He faced the door swiftly and used the key from his pocket, gulping down the butterflies that seemed to be awfully energetic compared to the last few days. Finally, he unlocked the door and let the two of them in.

Hinata walked in with careful, silent feet, being quieter than Kageyama had ever heard. The living room was fashioned with a couch on one wall, a TV stand with a flatscreen on the other, and a coffee table position between them with a bias to the couch. It was an all around normal room, with cute, even more normal decor. Then, Kageyama saw it.

On the floor at the foot of the stairs that laid straight ahead of the pair lied a large, dull red stain of what could only be assumed to be blood. Kageyama's stomach dropped. He reminisced at the feeling—but it wasn't quite reminiscing—as it felt like the plunge to the ground at the end of rollercoaster. Terror, absolute terror ran through him just as it did back then, and it made him shiver. Hinata simply glanced at it hazily, gulping down the memories that the image summoned.

They ascended the stairs taking two steps at a time until they ducked into Hinata's room, the short boy falling against the door to shut it swiftly behind them.

"Why all the security measures?" Kageyama joked, a certain intensity to his tone.

"Because I don't want to worry my mom, not even with just a guest. She's having it worse than I am, if that tells you anything," Hinata said, using an uncharacteristically serious voice. Kageyama follows him to the bed, sitting with his back facing the ginger. Hinata sat on the bed with both of his legs curled up into his chest, his arms wrapped around his knees. he tucked his head into his knees, keeping just his eyes above to dig his gaze into the wall ahead. A long, long silence proceeded them, a weight growing on their shoulders the further time marched on. His voice rose like a snake's whisper in the dead of night. 

"It was Monday. After I left." Hinata said, his voice cracking with unease. He shifted, the bed creaking as he continued. His voice fell back down to a whisper. "I found Natsu there. Mom and grandma were sitting by her. She was bloody, a-and her foot was bent and all weird and I could... I could barely hear her breathing." Strangled sobs crawled from his throat, and it confused Kageyama as much as it hurt him. He was desperate to help him, but he had no idea how. He had never been the comforting type.

"Is she okay?" Kageyama asked, careful not to lift his voice too high.

"I think so. The doctors thought she will be," he continued, more hesitant, sweat beading on his forehead, "but something happened."

"What happened?" Kageyama responded, becoming more and more comfortable beside him. He turned, laying a bent leg on the bed as he turned to face Hinata’s back.

"She went into the hospital, and something happened with the bone shards that sh-she needed to get impromptu surgery, and..." his voice drifted off into nothingness as he pondered the weight of his next words. 

"And... what?" Kageyama inclined, unconsciously placing a hand on his back.

"It's just that, after the surgery, they found something."

"What was it?" He employed that same, near quiet tone.

Hinata felt his own heart squirm uncomfortably as he uncoiled from himself and turned to lock eyes with Kageyama's, tear ducts threatening to let forth a flood. There in Kageyama’s expression was such concern and confusion for Hinata that his heart broke. ‘I have to tell him,’ he thought as he bit down a sob. ‘I've gotten this far.’

"It's, they, they did an X-ray after they found th-this abnormality and.." again, he drifted into silence.

‘I trust him,’ Hinata encouraged himself, taking a shaky, calming breath.

"It might... it might be cancerous."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to combine two chapters from what I have up on wattpad of this, and I think it flows a lot better. Sorry for more bad news about Natsu. More angsty, fluffy, and perhaps some smutty shit to come


	3. Plans are Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama make plans for Kags to see Natsu.

Kageyama felt as despaired as Hinata when he heard those words.

He'd noticed as soon as he entered that there was a dismal feeling throughout his home— something just didn't seem right. It wasn't as loud, loving, or, Kageyama admitted to himself, as homely as it felt before. Natsu's absence was most definitely the reason. 

In one awkward, uncontrolled movement, Kageyama wrapped his arms around Hinata, tightly trapping him in his sympathies. A new type of sadness rippled through Kageyama at the embrace, but it was accompanied by a feeling he enjoyed far more.

Hinata didn't know how to respond at first. His heart sped just as it had earlier, his breathing stopped and his stomach squirmed, but in a more warming, delightful way than his woeful story-telling had done. He cherished the sensation, and in an effort to stay away from the sinking feeling that had tried to latch onto him earlier, he just hugged back, wrapping his arms around Kageyama's waist and burying his head in Kageyama's chest. Soon enough, muffled sobs came from the small boy, but all Kageyama could do was hug him a bit tighter, rub his back a bit more soothingly, and pray that Natsu would be okay.

"I..." Hinata began weakly, "thanks."

"S' fine," Kageyama replied blankly. He still hung onto the smallest bit of worry that Hinata may have still been harboring anger toward him. He was angry at him for doing that to him— making him feel squeamish and warm —but Kageyama wasn't even sure what ‘that’ was. "Just don't say shit about this later."

"I won't," Hinata responded, a wave of confusion running through him. Earlier that day, he was practically suffocating in self-imposed isolation, but at that moment, he was buried in the chest of one of his closest friends, letting tears he had only allowed himself to see run down his face. He'd decided it was no one's fight but his own, and yet, he was accepting the help of one of the bossiest, rudest, most self-centered people he knew. ‘Why,’ he asked himself, ‘am I still doing this?’

With that thought, Hinata shoved him away, realizing the purpose for which he was isolating himself, but he knew it was far too late. Kageyama knew and saw everything there was to know and see about the Hinata family stress.

"What was that for ass-" Kageyama began as he kept himself from falling off the bed, "Hinata?"

"I-I can't accept your help," Hinata replied, staring at Kageyama warily.

"That's the one fucking reason I'm here."

He had a point.

"But I can't be there for them," Hinata said to the bed, "if I'm too busy being there for myself. And you being there for me is keeping me from being there for N-Natsu,” he stumbled over her name, as if just saying it was hurting him, “and she’s the one actually suffering right now.” He'd fallen down a rabbit hole of his own making when he’d forced himself to say her name again, and it was quickly plunging him into a void of his sorrow. 

"I'm not trying to sound like some cringy old man giving advice," Kageyama warned, "but you can't help other people if you have non of yourself to give."

Hinata pondered his words, letting them sink in but not quite register. "I get it," he said in a hushed voice.

"I hope you do, because you looked awful today," Kageyama jested in a harsh tone.

"I know," Hinata replied, peering at Kageyama with a stressed expression, suddenly no longer worried about keeping secrets, "I just couldn't sleep in the hospital chairs, and I didn't want to leave her for too long, so I just tried to sleep there again last night. I've been doing alright without too much sleep, so I'll probably do it again if mom lets me-"

"No, you won't." Kageyama cut him off, fear of angering the smaller boy forgotten completely.

"What do you mean, 'no you won't?' Of course I will!" Hinata exclaimed. "You're not my mom! And... and Natsu hates being there with just Mom. She misses people."

"Then let me see her too," Kageyama spat, not realizing he'd said it. His eyes widened as he comprehended his own words, sure he would be met with a no, and he would surely not be disappointed.

"What? No!" Hinata said in a flurry of emotion. His heart was screaming yes, but his head told him no. He knew it was smarter to listen to his head, but he still felt the aching inclination to listen to the pounding in his chest: it hadn't yet done him wrong. "No, no... yes. I mean no. Ugh!"

"You'll get lonely after awhile, too," Kageyama said, providing reason for his visit against his own wants. He wasn't sure why he was trying so hard to visit Natsu. He was only there because Hinata's bad mood was bringing the team down, right?

Hinata, though, just couldn't fight off the pining at his heart to accept. "Yes. Fine. But not now. Not tomorrow either," Hinata told him, stroking his chin with one hand and squinting in thought. The taller boy thought his face was cute, his eyebrows scrunched and his lips pouting without his permission. Kageyama, in a wisp of unsolicited thought, wondered what they might feel like on his own. Kageyama soon interfered with his focus, so as to distract himself from the embarrassingly romantic thought.

"I don't care when. I'm free anytime you are. You know that," Kageyama reminded encouragingly.

"Alright. Fine then. I'll tell you when you can come when I figure it out."

"Yeah. Okay, but don't let yourself keep losing sleep," Kageyama affirmed. "It's getting late. I'm gonna head home. Don't you dare worry about walking me to the door." He scared.

"Yeah, gotcha. See you Monday," Hinata said, deadpan and lost in his own thoughts. Kageyama had an inkling of anxiety manifest itself, but he shoved it off. Clearly, this was a good step for Hinata, and with that, the team would surely get better. Tanaka would regain his enthusiasm, Asahi would regain his motivation, and Kageyama would regain his focus, in addition to everything else Hinata seemed to have taken.

However, as Kageyama found out on his walk home, he felt far from regaining his focus, because Hinata still held all of it. In particular, a recent memory of him kept resurfacing, stealing his train of thought and distracting him. The hug that he'd supposedly initiated did not seem to want to leave his mind. Kageyama kept pondering the feel of Hinata's small body pressed against his chest, the warmth of that body spreading to his own chest in a wondrous way that traveled from his heart, to his head, and through his whole body, making his mind twist and twirl and his hands sweaty.

He didn't like the feeling one bit, and yet, he couldn't get enough of it.

When Monday came around, Hinata was acting like his normal self again, but something was off. His movements were more smooth than before—almost like the break had improved his agility rather than compromised it—and he was far more quiet than anyone recalled. Still, his bright smile reappeared, and the team felt back on track: all but Kageyama and Hinata. 

Tuesday came around, and Hinata remained the same. His spikes were as energetic as before, his receives were still only mildly better, and his feet moved just as fast. But again, Kageyama felt he was off. Hinata's smiles weren't as genuine and his jumps weren't as high. Kageyama noticed. Again, he dismissed it, enjoying their teams newfound rhythm.

Finally, it was Wednesday, and Hinata seemed much better, both to the team and to Kageyama. His movements seemed more genuine, and to top it all off, he was speaking more. Less sarcastic comments, less quiet, and more excitement. At each outburst of joy at a spike, receive, and the like from Hinata, Kageyama smiled. Hinata noticed it, and for some reason, he felt drawn to it, and wanted to bring out more of it- however exhausting he knew doing such would be. He felt attached to Kageyama, in a less platonic way than he would admit. He missed Kageyama's smile as much as Kageyama missed his.

At the end of that night's practice, Hinata understood what needed to happen. Because after all, he wasn't the only one who missed Kageyama's smile.

On the walk home from that Wednesday's practice, Hinata took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and said in one long huff of breath, "IwantyoutovisitNatsuwithmetonight."

"What?" Kageyama asked incredulously, having genuinely not understood it.

"Come to the hospital with me tonight. I've decided that tonight would be good to finally do that," Hinata said, though he hadn't deliberated upon the decision much past thirty minutes before that moment.

Kageyama donned a blank expression, but he set it to something more purposeful. It sent a wave of heat through Hinata, the way he looked at him with those unwavering eyes. Tonight will be better, Hinata told himself. Kageyama's small smile and response only encouraged him.

"Alright. Let's go."

~

The pair, shaking with nerves, walked first to Kageyama's home to drop off his volleyball bag and for him to change into more casual clothes, then to Hinata's for him to do the same. They entered together in a slouched manner, each racked with fear for the rest of nights events, despite their previous resolve.

The two walked in with stiff spines, averting their eyes from the still vibrant stain. Kageyama took a look around, hoping to find another person lurking to lure his mind away from that awful red blotch, but no one else was there. They must be with Natsu, Kageyama thought. He swallowed down his anxiousness, again remembering the stain's significance. 

They trudged up the stairs and into Hinata's room, where Kageyama sat on the full-sized bed facing Hinata, who was still standing at the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't go looking through anything!" Hinata warned before pushing through a drawer in his obnoxiously tall dresser (or so it seemed compared to Hinata) then scrambled out to the bathroom just down the hall. Kageyama only waited a few agonizing minutes before Hinata returned, two water bottles for himself and the beanstalk-ish boy, who seemed surprised to see Hinata back so early.

"You weren't gone very long. Did you even wash?" Kageyama asked superstitiously.

"Of course I did! I just don't like to waste too much time time in the bathroom. Like, I'm gonna get sweaty again anyway, so what's the difference?" Hinata replied, a friendly but frenzied expression on his face.

"You're always going to get sweaty again, but that doesn't mean you should let yourself soak in it," Kageyama informed, a rather lecture like tone about him.

"Well yeah, I know that!" Hinata shot back. "I showered, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did, but you're probably only doing it to keep your mother from worrying." Kageyama said it with a certain finality, but Hinata knew it wasn't undeserved. He was right, after all. Hinata sighed and closed his eyes, trying to refocus.

"What's up with that?" Kageyama asked in reference to his sudden shift in mood. Hinata opened his eyes and peeked at the wall, analyzing the clock with an almost volatile look. 

"The bus for the Hospital should come around in half an hour, so we should start heading for the bus stop in ten," Hinata said, changing the subject. Kageyama didn't object.

"Okay. That's fine," Kageyama said back, his voice cramped in the confines of the small room.

"You don't have to yell," Hinata muttered grumpily as he sat down on the twin sized bed, facing the window.

"I wasn't yelling," Kageyama countered, turning to peek at Hinata's hair. He felt a yearning to touch it but shook it off. 

"Yeah, you were! Don't gotta be sassy with me."

"Boke, I wasn't yelling!" Kageyama shot back. Something about how normal their argument was struck him, and before Hinata could strike back, Kageyama started laughing. At first, it was only awkward, sluggish laughs, but eventually morphed into hysterics. Kageyama leaned back the bed, accidentally tapping Hinata's head with his back, but the smaller boy didn't mind. They both shifted farther onto the bed, eventually coming back to back.

"H-hey, what are laughing at?" Hinata asked reproachfully. Kageyama leaned back the bed, accidentally tapping Hinata's head with his back, but the smaller boy didn't mind. They both shifted farther onto the bed, eventually coming back to back, and it sent a jolt of addictive excitement through Hinata. Kageyama hadn't even noticed they were touching.

"Us! This shit, whatever it is," he answered through increasingly nervous laughs, turning to look at Hinata. Instead, he felt Hinata's damp, yet already nearly fluffy hair, and he didn't even feel the need to complain. "It's just so normal that it's weird."

Hinata thought about that for awhile, laughs of his own slowly rising up to join Kageyama's. He turned to face his friend and caught his eyes in his own. Hinata found that he felt more comfortable with him like that: acting like how it was and laughing at how it is. He prayed that the normality of those things would never change; it felt like one of the only consistent things in his life, and he knew he would be needing that. "It is, yeah."

They continued talking about remedial things, finding comfort in the more simple topics. For the two of them, it was the best they were going to get, and it was more than enough. Eventually, the time came to head to the bus, and they went, riding alongside each other in content silence. It was a fifteen minute ride, but it felt much shorter, for Kageyama at least. Hinata had to keep dragging his eyes, kicking and it screaming it felt, off the boy, and the tiring effort made the ride almost excruciating. However, it was still better than dwelling on his sister's condition. Hinata gulped as the thought came to him. He began shaking almost violently, and his stomach ached as if he were going to vomit. Kageyama felt the vibrations of the seat next to him and rose to action, holding a hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Hey, we're almost there, right?" Kageyama reminded him. Hinata nodded slowly. "Then hold it a bit longer. She's fine, so get a hold of yourself." Kageyama tried to give a knowing look to Hinata, a weak attempt at encouraging him to feel better. Hinata couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "What's so funny?" Kageyama asked blankly.

"You're smile. If I can even call it that," Hinata giggled, "since it looks more like you're just baring your teeth."

"My smile's fine. I don't know what you mean," Kageyama responded grumpily with a small pout. 

"Look in a mirror, Kags!" Hinata said laughing.

"Rude ass..." Kageyama scowled. He was cut off soon after though, as the bus came to an abrupt halt. They both looked up and out the wind shield, from which they could see the silhouette of the Miyagi Hospital, and donned newer, statistical expressions, as if preparing for some unseen threat. Kageyama couldn't yet understand what that threat might be, but Hinata felt he had already been close enough to it to have spat in its face. The threat that loomed over his sister scared him no more than it scared her, so if he had to come to terms with any sort of condition of hers, he felt that this was a battle he would be able to fight with her. Hinata prayed for it, but Kageyama was still hesitant. He wanted to battle it, too. Whatever "it" was.

They waddled off the bus, saying thank you to the bus driver and paying him before exiting, then made a run for the hospital. Hinata was the first one to begin sprinting, but it wasn't long after that Kageyama began chasing after him. By the time they got to the front desk, they were both panting messes.

"Hinata Shoyo. I'm here to see my little sister on floor three, Hinata Natsu, but I need a guest pass for him!" Hinata pointed boisterously to Kageyama, hunching over the desk and placing a fist at the edge of it. The woman at the other side of the desk smiled nervously from behind her computer, clearly slightly fearful of the overly energetic boy. He was practically bouncing up and down in anticipation, and neither knew whether that was nervous or happy energy that he was using up.

"O-okay. Just let me see Kageyama-kun's ID and I'll let you two be on your way," the woman replied with a shy smile. Her dark, almost black hair moved to shield her face as she slouched over her computer protectively and input their visit. Kageyama took his wallet out of his pocket and showed her his ID. "It's room 312." 

After a curt nod to the both of them, they thanked her and sprinted up the two flights, once again panting heavily by the time they got to the door. Hinata turned toward Kageyama, making nervous glances to the floor, ceiling and walls-- pretty much anything that wasn't Kageyama-- then spoke.

"You don't have to stay as long as I'm going to, okay? Just take the 10 o'clock bus home." Hinata said with a pout. He hadn’t even realized he had donned it.

"I'm here as long as you're here, that's not changing," Kageyama informed sternly. Despite his tone, his eyes shone with sympathy, and Hinata saw that. He usually had the stamina to argue it out with the taller boy, but the whole day's progression wore him out more than usual. The feelings that accompanied hanging out with the genius setter was just enough to wear him out. 

"Fine, but you'll end up sleeping in a hospital chair," Hinata warned. He took a deep breath, focusing on the route the refreshing air took through his body, his chest lifting and his head held high. He was positive that she was still just fine, or at least, that's what he kept willing himself to believe. Beside him, Kageyama observed the deep breaths he was taking, noting the calm posture he suddenly possessed. It helped calm him too, and as they entered, it seemed they might need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going back through this is so refreshing sometimes. I get to make fun of myself and my shitty writing choices lmao.
> 
> If you can, watch this in the background while you read! This is a video that’s giving all the proceeds from ads to BLM: https://youtu.be/slbNdBuQzKw DO NOT skip ads! The longer you watch them, the more money is donated. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	4. Shōyō and Natsu Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama hangs out with the Hinatas.

Natsu breathed in small, shallow bouts, tucked snugly underneath the light-weight, white sheets of the hospital's cot. Her bright orange hair was fanned over her pillow in gentle wisps of color that made her skin seem more lively in shade than it was in actuality, although even that couldn't disguise her worn out condition. A dollop of drool fell from the corner of her lips, wetting the pillow in a spot that was already dampened by several other hours of drool. Her left foot was wrapped in a thick white cast, bandages covering it from toe to mid-calve. Hinata looked at her with the most powerful admiration that could be deemed possible for the boy, as if to say how proud and happy he was that she was still managing to hang on. For each second they stood at the door watching, Kageyama knew Hinata was praying to whatever God he might have thought existed up there-- he could imagine it easily. He could almost hear the words from Hinata's own mouth, begging to whatever sympathetic force of nature that would listen: Help her.

"Shōyō!" Hinata's mother whispered from the other side of the room as she get up, relieved to see her son, but her expression became confused. "And... Kageyama-kun?"

"He wanted to see how she was doing. My friends are worried about Natsu, too," Hinata conveyed to her, trying to soothe her apparent worry. "They all really like her, Ka-san (A/N: basically "mom"). They want to know how she's doing, so I figured I would bring Kageyama only so that someone could spread the news!" It was a bit of a fib, but Kageyama was genuinely concerned for her, so he didn't feel too bad about it. He also didn't know whether or not he'd actually told anyone else, so it was completely plausible, too. However, coming from the pure-hearted and all-too-authentic Hinata, it made Kageyama suspicious. He could never have lied so easily before, even if only a little. What was up with that? 

"I'm glad they're wishing her well as much as us," Hinata's mother said hopefully as she stretched over Hinata's shoulders into a hug, a smile held laboriously upon her face. She was three inches shorter than Hinata, making him look like a reasonably sized boy and Kageyama look like a lengthy giant. He stood to the side with his hands intertwined awkwardly, waiting for them to finish having their moment. They parted, another long moment of eye contact between the two of them, but she eventually turned to the lanky figure that still stood at the door, which was left ajar by one a few centimeters. "Natsu is still asleep, so you'll have to wait a bit before you can say hello, but you can stay as long as you'd like."

"Thank you, Hinata-san," Kageyama said with a slight bow of the chin. Hinata's mother smiled weakly in response, and motioned the two boys to seats at the wall. They did so, each with eager faces as they waited for the frail girl to wake up.

Hinata's mother sat in a chair positioned directly next to the bed, peering at the girl with an expression so gentle one would have thought she was scared to break her with just her worried gaze. She held a hand up to Natsu's cheek, feeling the hot skin against her fingertips, and it seemed to make her relieved. The warmth of her child reminded her that she had not lost yet.

Kageyama watched their moment with seldom attention, his mind drifting away from the present at several points as he pondered his own relationship with the girl who lied pitifully in the hospital bed. When he had gone over to Hinata's house before, Natsu was always stalking the both of them as they played and practiced. She giggled and gagggled as she played "monkey in the middle," attempting to intercept their receives. On multiple occasions, Kageyama had even yielded to her persistent demands to learn. However, her wrists we still far too small to get the ball anywhere too far, and she hadn't done anything more with the ball than pass it between the three of them in a circle, so she hadn't yet gotten to best handle of the sport. Her venture in volleyball was always an eccentric endeavor, with the vast number of mistakes she made. Kageyama found it endearing, though he would never admit it. He was fond of children, and he was nearly embarrassed by it. Taking care of Hinata feels like babysitting a working Natsu, thought Kageyama with a small smile.

He was jerked out of his thoughts as gasps came from Hinata and his mother, a groan from Natsu's stirred sleep being the reason. Hinata actually got up at the sound, and his mother's hands began to shake violently as she caressed the child's cheek. "Oh, baby, are you awake?" She asked in a caring a voice.

"Ahhrg, mmmhm," she said before she flopped over on her side to face her mother, a groggy smile upon her face. Her hair fell to obscure her vision, but her mother moved it behind her ear. "gmmornin, Ka-san," the girl said happily, though it was clear she was shielding a pained expression.

Her eyes were still glossed over with sleep, her nap carrying into her demeanor easily. She sat up against the headboard, a thin pillow between her back and the uncomfortable plastic. She reached a hand up to her eye, rubbing the tiredness out of them for what felt like several minutes. Every eye was on her the whole time.

Hinata bounced toward her and sat at the end of the bed, leaving Kageyama to linger in his chair, fit ungainly into the corner of the room.

"Natsu! How was your nap, dork?" Hinata asked with a smile. It was the first genuine smile Kageyama had seen from him in awhile.

Natsu giggled. "Onii-chan!" She exclaimed. "I slept reeeeeally good." Both Kageyama and Hinata smiled at that. As Natsu's vision refocused and Kageyama came into view, her eyes widened as a jolt of happiness went through her. "Kageyama-kun? You came to see me!" Her grin widened as the idea of a visit from one of her brother's friends. She felt like the opposite of a lady's man-- a lord's woman? No, she thought, that's not right.

Kageyama rose from his chair and greeted Natsu with a grin of his own, sitting on the other side of the bed. "Yeah, I did. How have you been doing?" He asked, a hint of formality in his tone.

"Well, my foot hurts a lot sometimes. But pain goes away. It always does." She giggled when she finished, her optimism overlapping the negative theme her words carried. Kageyama thought about her words much more seriously than any others, even more than Hinata, and found himself with a determined expression and confident composure, because she was right: pain always goes away.

The group talked for hours on end. 11 o'clock came, then 12, and 1. By the time 2 o'clock in the morning hit, Hinata-san, Natsu and Shōyō had all fallen asleep. The Hinata's mother lied with her arms hanging off from her shoulders loosely and her head on the bed, right next to Natsu's tiny, curled body. Hinata and Kageyama were in chairs that were situated on the wall directly next to Natsu's bed, a perfect place to observe the girl's sleep and guarantee her breathing was as steady as before. Unlike Natsu's usual roommates, Kageyama lied awake.

Multiple times, Hinata's mother had urged her son's friend to go home and get some rest, but he refused every time. By the time everyone had fallen asleep, he'd come to the realization that he really enjoyed all the time he spent, and that he was no longer only there for Hinata, but the Hinatas. He felt like family with them. It was an incredible feeling, and it made his chest swell like his heart was being surrounded by a warm hug. 

Hinata's head had fallen on his shoulder about ten minutes ago, and he hadn't yet felt compelled to move it. It made his heart swirl in a kind, exhilarating way. He didn't think he would ever get over that feeling, and as he fell asleep, he was smiling. Yes, Tobio Kageyama was smiling, and when he would wake up the next day, he imagined a healthier, more awake Hinata would tease him about it endlessly, but the Hinata leaning against him in that moment was not the previous Hinata. This Hinata may not even acknowledge their position. Even so, Tobio Kageyama knew he didn’t mind.


	5. A Good Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and Hinata go back to school and back to practice, after which Hinata and Kageyama have some interesting chats with Daichi and Sugawara.

A blaring alarm went off, causing the boys to shift and groan. When Hinata began to open his eyes, the hospital's lights invaded his vision, immediately stealing his sight and causing him to squint. He groaned as he reached into his pocket and turned off his phone's alarm, shutting his eyes as hard as he could to block the disturbance and nuzzling his face into whatever he'd adopted as a pillow that night. He grabbed at it's chest and settled, groaning as he regained his comfort. Then he'd realized exactly what he'd just done. He'd nuzzled into a chest, and it was most certainly too flat to be his mother's. That was Kageyama.

At first, he panicked. He wasn't sure if he should get up and move as far away as he could from the boy, who was actually lying on Hinata as much as Hinata was lying on him, or just pretend he hadn't even woken up. He would run the risk of waking up Kageyama before he could get a considerable distance away if he tried to slip away, but if he just waited for Kageyama to wake up, he would most definitely be aware of the position they were in all night. The thought filled him with dread. He would be pissed, wouldn't he?

Hinata didn't have time to deliberate, as Kageyama stirred above him, his chin lifting up from its resting place on the orange haired boy's head. He opened his eyes groggily, still tired from the late night, and waited for his eye sight to adjust. He pulled away from Hinata, unaware of the consequences that that action had created. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, shifting away from Hinata. Hinata, though, was confused beyond belief. Kageyama should pissed at him for falling asleep on him, but he hadn't said anything at all. In fact, Kageyama was blushing as he turned away from the shorter boy. Hinata was in absolute disbelief.

"It's fine. Don't mention it." Neither had to say what Kageyama was talking about. They both knew, and they both didn't dare say it.

"Yeah. Thanks," Hinata replied in a stupor fueled by puzzlement. Soon enough, his cheeks dusted pink, too. 

Kageyama rose from his chair and grabbed his wallet and phone from a small table against the wall. He shoved his wallet in his pocket and looked at the time, still moving considerably slowly. It was only 7:04, but school was supposed to start at 8:00, and he wasn't sure how far a walk it was back to theirs homes and then to school, or if he could even pay for the bus ride back.

Hinata reeled back in his chair, throwing his hands up above his head in a stretch. He yawned widely, and Kageyama remarked to himself that he looked like a kitten. The tall boy quickly supressed the thought as Hinata jumped up from his seat, the both of them trying to ignore the bags that weighed heavy underneath their eyes. Hinata, despite his self-induced insomnia, was as ready as ever to begin his day. "Lets go get our stuff."

~

By the time they got to school, each biking or walking from their own homes after collecting their volleyball things and schoolbag, they were beyond tired. Four hours of sleep was not nearly enough for either of the boys, but more so Kageyama, and it showed. After a full day of school to tease their sleep deprived brains, the team felt it was the especially obvious.

They were practicing in lines; setting, receiving then spiking to one another. Everyone was going through the stations, with everyone moving through the line at least twice, and Kageyama sent Hinata two short balls. Tsukishima was mocking Kageyama to his heart's content, but the rest of the team was beginning to be as concerned for Kageyama as they were for Hinata, who was seeming better, though he was clearly still sleep deprived. Tanaka gave Kageyama a reassuring thumbs up, Daichi threatened Tsukishima to stop with his bullshit, and Asahi even made an attempt at helping out Kageyama's mental state with a cute pun, but it simply wasn't enough. Kageyama's lack of sleep was nothing they could fix. When practice finally came to a close, Hinata and Kageyama were given the voluntary help of Sugawara and Daichi, who felt that if someone didn't help the two sleep deprived children, they might break something.

"Hinata definitely looks better, but you look like you haven't slept in days," Suga commented to Kageyama as they picked up the volleyballs that were scattered about the room and placed them in their bag.

"I've slept in the past couple days. It's just because I only got four hours of sleep last night. That's all," Kageyama corrected. His correction was of no use when it came to alleviating Sugawara's concerns. 

"What were you doing that you only got three hours of sleep? Wait, didn't you go home with Hinata last night?" Suga asked, fitting together pieces that hadn't quite been put together themselves.

Kageyama’s mind blurred at the implication, but did his best to hide it. "Yes, I did. I was-" He stopped himself, realizing that revealing where he was would be revealing Hinata's personal information, too. He swore to himself that he would not lose Hinata's trust- not that way, at least. "I was with Hinata's family, and we just happened to lose track of time." It wasn't entirely a lie. He did hang out with Hinata's family, but they hadn't lost track of time as much as they intentionally paid it no mind. In reality, they all just wanted to be awake with Natsu as long as she was going to be awake. She had fallen asleep at around 1:30 am, but Hinata-san, Shōyō and Kageyama were talking for a half hour after. They were simply riding out the high of Natsu's recovering, letting their happiness lead them through the night's chatter. 

"You all must have really lost track of time to have gotten that little sleep," Suga replied cattily, but shrunk to a much more respectful and reserved tone, "but that isn't really my business. I'm just glad you two still managed to get to school and to practice." He smiled reassuringly at Kageyama, straightening beside him as he patted his underclassman on the back. Kageyama thanked his lucky stars for having such a friend as him.

"Yeah. Me too," Kageyama answered as he, too, straightened and faced Sugawara. They shared a moment of mutual admiration and respect, giving one another knowing looks before getting back to work picking up the volleyballs. 

Half the gym away, Hinata and Daichi were having their own moment as they tore down the net and the polls, untying the net from their loops. Hinata actually had to take down the poll before he could get the higher loop. He could jump, yes, but he couldn't float. Still, he worked in unison with Daichi to take them down, unfettered by his usual disadvantageous height.

"You seem a lot better today, Hinata," Daichi noted to them both. "You still seem like you didn't get much sleep, though."

"Yeah, I am doing a lot better!" Hinata replied with a happy jump. "And yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night. I got enough, though, see?" He jumped as high as he could, managing to get his head above the poll by a whole half a meter.

"Yes, I definitely see it," Daichi said, marvelling at the boy's already impressive jump. It was insane on it's own, but sleep deprived and above average? Astonishing.

The two polls had been unleashed from the net and were lying on the floor, so they moved to the final steps of putting it away, wrapping the net up as they moved along the gym's length. "I think... I think she's doing better," Hinata said to the team's captain in a low voice.

Daichi's eyes lit up with hope. "That's great! I'm really glad she's doing better."

A long moment passed, each smiling cheerfully with such news fresh in their minds, but Daichi's voice once again broke the silence. "Kageyama went home with you last night, but did he go home after? He looks as tired as you, if not way more tired," Daichi asked. Hinata sighed. There was no point hiding anything from Daichi. He knew he could trust him, and he already knew everything, so what was the point in lying?

"Yeah, he actually went with me to see her," Hinata disclosed to him with a small smile. He hadn't really thought about it when it happened. It was simply a byproduct of the conversation's topic. "I told him pretty much everything earlier."

"Yeah. But not everything," Daichi agreed partially. He grinned at Hinata with a look of mischief, as if he knew something he couldn't say. Hinata knew exactly what he meant by that look, and his raging pink face made that clear to his upperclassman.

"You're assuming! T-There's nothing like that going on and you know it!" Hinata objected. Daichi laughed, smiling coyly at the smaller male’s angry, flustered face.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Daichi ensured. Hinata was already shoved onto that train of thought though, and he wasn't getting off of it any time soon.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm straight," Hinata said, looking over his shoulder and shrugging, as if to say that was such an outrageous thing to think. That he wasn't straight, that is. "A-And it's not like that- that "Gwah!" feeling has anything to do with it. Actually, not "gwah," more like... "wow!" or "Kabloom!"" Hinata listed onomatopoeia after onomatopoeia as they came back from carrying the net and the polls to a closet inside of the gym, trying to find the correct term for how Kageyama had been making him feel, but nothing could be found. "I guess it's just... not describable. It's indescribable."

"You know, you're not really helping your point," Daichi said.

"I know!" Hinata shot back with a groan. "It's not like I can help it."

"I see what you mean. Try not to dwell on how you feel, though. There'll be a moment where you just know. That's how it was for me," Daichi lectured. Although Hinata hadn't caught it, Daichi threw a longing look toward Sugawara, who seemed to be having an equally serious chat with Kageyama.

"Well, I should go!" Hinata said abruptly, beginning to run out the door and toward the club room.

"Oh,” Daichi started with a surprised expression, “See you tomorrow!" Daichi called back. Around that same time, Kageyama had excused himself from his conversation with Sugawara, leaving only the two closest third years in the gymnasium.

They walked toward each other slowly, donning curious smiles as they got closer. Daichi crossed his arms with mock seriousness, heaving a sigh, though he smiled as he spoke to the silver haired boy. "Do you think they'll ever figure it out?"

"I'm sure they will," Suga answered calmly, "but I wonder which one will make the first move."

"I'm going 500 yen that it's Hinata," Daichi said with a smirk.

"500 on Kageyama," Suga said with equal tenacity.

"I guess it's on, then."

"I guess it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY I got to shove a little bit of daisuga in here.


	6. Kageyama has a Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama elaborates on his feelings to himself.

The only way that Kageyama could describe the weight that seemed to pin him to his mattress was longing. It was the chill Friday evening a day after his and Suga’s chat, and he was lying flat on his bed, each limb feeling hundreds of times heavier than their usual weight. He was beyond exhausted from his lack of sleep the previous two nights, one night from the valid distraction of the Hinata family and the other from an overactive brain, but there was another idea that placed far more pressure on his mind to stay up, even as he tried to force himself to sleep.

Was he into boys? Or rather, was he into Hinata?

The question made him furrow his brows, half in pure puzzlement and half in steely front as he prepared himself to answer it. 

He had always assumed he was straight. Sexuality had never been a question for him until now, and even then, it was a question he tried his best to avoid. But as he tried his best to slip into sleep that night, he couldn't help but dwell on it.

He moved onto his side, pulling his blanket closer around him. His mind drifted again to Hinata, his friend's smile beaming like the wild, bright sun he was. Kageyama smiled softly, his chest filled with warmth, and his mind spun at the thought of him. He never had thoughts and feelings like that about his other friends. Hinata was different, and he wasn't quite sure how, despite the evidence’s plain-as-day presence. When Nishinoya smiled at him, he didn't get a fuzzy feeling in his stomach. When Sugawara patted his back, his skin didn't flame up with an electrifying sensation. When Ennoshita reassured him, his heart didn't skip a beat. When Tanaka ranted about something, his chest didn't swell with curiosity and admiration. When he was getting dressed in the locker room after gym, he didn't have heat begin to gather in his stomach at the thought of peeking at his friends. 

That particular piece of evidence he decided to ignore.

When Daichi thanked him for something, his pulse didn't hammer in his ear, announcing the delightful feeling that made his heart swell. When Yamaguchi brushed his hand with his own, he didn't feel the yearning to take the leap of faith and hold it. But with Hinata, it was different. It was always different. But it was because they were best friends, wasn't it? He'd always told himself that it must be, ever since he'd started noticing those little things months before, but after the past two weeks, he knew it wasn't just kinship, and it terrified him.

No matter how much it scared him, he still loved that feeling. He loved the feeling of love, or what he would rather call a strong liking, and that scared him as much as the feelings themselves. He had to know if what he felt truly was more than a simple companionship, and he thought he might know how to figure it out. All he had to do to get there was figure out who to interrogate on the subject.

He flopped on his stomach and grabbed his phone from the wooden side table, opening it up and searching through it for his list of numbers. He looked through his phone's contacts, deliberating on which of his peers he should call upon for the answers he needed.

Daichi and Sugawara: reliable, will take him seriously, and will respect his situation.

Nishinoya and Tanaka: both have definitely experienced a crush (Kiyoko) so he could guarantee their accuracy.

Asahi and Ennoshita: reliable, older students who will also respect his situation entirely. However, they were both more Senpai than friend.

Kiyoko: May be embarrassing, but she will give an honest perspective and it may result in a good, long-lasting friendship.

Tsukkishima: In words directly from Kageyama's own thoughts, "fuck no."

Yamaguchi: relatable to Kageyama in a lot of ways, but might tell Tsukki his business and he can't have that.

He went through the list again in his head, clicking on each of their contacts multiple times, and every time he found himself gravitating toward a certain silver-haired Senpai. He went through the pros and cons of asking Sugawara about it once again, and finally decided that it wasn't such a bad idea. He pressed on the contact, pressed on the small message icon, and began to type.

Your conversation with Suga, 10:47 pm

Kageyama: Hey, are you up?

He waited about four minutes, all of them spent staring up at the ceiling in thought, until he finally received a reply.

Suga: Yeah, I'm up. How are you? Is something wrong?

Kageyama: No, nothing's wrong. I just have a question

Suga: Oh, okay. What is it?

Kageyama took a deep breath, contemplating the best way to start the conversation. He thought about it for a whole two minutes before he landed on what he figured would be the best method of getting his answers.

Kageyama: Have you ever had a crush?

Sugawara took a long minute to reply.

Suga: yes. Is there anything else you’re curious about?

Kageyama: I want to know what it's like.

There were another several minutes of typing before Kageyama received a response.

Suga: It's like having someone never leave your mind for very long. A lot of the time, being around them feels like the best part of your day. When you hug or hold hands or any of that touchy stuff, you get this warm feeling in your chest, and it can feel really nice. And of course there's some of those impure thoughts. lol

Kageyama swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in his throat. It was all true when it came to Hinata. Every single bit of the little amount of information he offered aligned perfectly with how he felt toward the orange haired shorty. Before he could get too far into that conversation with himself, another text from Sugawara came through.

Suga: Why do you ask?

Kageyama didn't want to say why, but Suga was so direct, that there was no way he could get around it. However, he was in no need to state specifics.

Kageyama: I wanted to confirm whether or not I have a crush.

Suga: Did you get your answer?

Kageyama: I did. Thank you

He was sure that Sugawara would press further, but no such thing happened.

Suga: That's good. Goodnight, see you Monday

Kageyama: Goodnight. see you Monday.

Kageyama placed his phone on his chest, stretching his arms out above his head with a noise of content. He had certainly gotten all the answers he needed, and without nearly as much hassle as he thought should have accompanied it. He was satisfied, and that was all he needed.

He reached over to his side table with his phone in hand and moved to flip the small switch on the side of the device to silent, but his phone vibrated with a notification from Hinata. He hurried to open it, his tiredness disappearing from his demeanor as soon as he saw his beloved friend's name on the screen.

Your conversation with Hinata, 11:23 pm

Hinata: can you meet me at the coffee shop tomorrow, at around 10 am? the one a couple blocks south of the school gates?

Kageyama was infinitely curious, scrunching up his brows at the text with a slight frown curl down at each side, but concern stemmed from that curiosity. It was such a late text, and it was making such an odd request. Hinata only ever asked about meeting up in person, usually on the walk to or from school and practice. He’d had a chance to ask early when they walked home, so why now? He knew it was nothing good, and that was all the reason he needed to go and check up on the boy.

Kageyama: I'll be there. See you tomorrow

As soon as he sent the text, he silenced his phone and tried his best for the hours following to fall asleep, but the entire time, he couldn't stop thinking about Hinata and whatever the next day's events would have in store for him and his newfound "crush."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW we’re getting to the good stuff. Oh boy.


	7. A Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama meet up to reveal some more news on Natsu.

Hinata was pacing the length of his room over and over and over, his hands held over his ears as he listed the things that could go wrong.

It was 9:23 am, and his white t-shirt flowed loosely over his chest as he hunched over himself with his Karasuno volleyball club jacket on top. He'd thrown on a pair of his favorite jeans, ones with the cuffs rolled up and were just tight enough to give him definition without discomfort, and settled with his usual messy orange hair. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about how he looked for this spontaneous meeting, since he hadn't intended for it to be a date in the slightest, but he cared nonetheless.

He slipped on his white running shoes, grabbed his wallet and ID, and began his bike ride to the small coffee shop.

After getting to the house with his mother at around 2 that morning, leaving much more time to sleep than previous nights, he could think of nothing but his sister's well-being. Hinata's breathing nearly stopped as his memory of the nurses and doctors breaking the news ran through his head, but he threw each arm out, making sure to keep one on the handlebars and steering, and shook them like he was trying to rid himself of his and his mother's recurring memory. However much the news plagued him, the dream he had that night continued to teeter on his mind.

He barreled downhill for fifteen solid minutes before he passed the school, and his throat constricted at the sight. It reminded him of that night only two weeks ago of him and his friend walking home, both unaware of the painstaking event that would unfold later that evening. He shook off the memory in favor of being able to see Kageyama again, this time in a much more personal setting. The idea excited him, and that feeling confused him. He felt like a jittery pre-teen girl when he thought like that.

He biked an uphill route from there, and after another (approximate) ten minutes, arrived at the small, comfy café.

He waltzed in with such a bold stance, shoving the door open with all his weight as he fell into it, that it crashed into the wall with a thunk. He stiffened at the sound, his shoulders rising up to meet his earlobes, and made an awkward laugh as he apologized over and over and over to the few thoroughly annoyed patrons, who were there for late morning coffee and tea runs and were not in the mood for this teenager.

Hinata continued nodding and bowing to the guests, granting as many apologies as he deemed necessary (which was a lot) all the way to the counter. A man with long brown dreads and round, thick-rimmed red glasses stood at the counter, an apron thrown over his deep blue sweater and sweets-patterned collared shirt stood at the counter with a kind expression.

"Good morning, sir, what would you like?" He took a moment to observe Hinata's frenzied eyes as he schemes over the menu. "I don't think I've seen you around here much before. Do you need a moment to look over the menu?"

"Yes, please," Hinata replied in a small tone. He smiled at the man as best he could, but his anxiety still hung onto his coattail with as much fervor as ever. "What do you like to get?"

"Me?" asked the man, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, you," Hinata giggled. "Who else would I be talking to?"

"Good point," the man said as he assumed a squint and a pout, lifting a finger to stroke his chin. "Well, on mornings like this with the weather all like it's about to rain but never reaching more than a pleasant dribble, I love vanilla chai lattes. Or if you're not a fan of those, just a regular chamomile tea with four sugars does me just fine."

"I think I'll have a large chamomile tea," Hinata said. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"I-It's fine, I'm glad I could help," He said as he rung up the coffee.

"What's your name? You don't seem to have a name tag on you," Hinata asked, his curiosity as obvious as ever and his eyes scanning over the older male's body.

"I-It's uhh, it's Harada Hiroshi," he said, tripping over every other syllable. "Everyone just calls me Hiroshi."

Hinata stuck out his hand. "Hinata Shōyō. My friends just call me Hinata though." Hiroshi made a face of recognition for only a fraction of a second but dismissed it quickly in favor of a smile. For some reason, Hinata felt like he could trust him. Hiroshi was far from his usually friends, and that seemed so refreshing. It would be a piece of his life that was separate from Natsu. He would be separate from Natsu.

"So how long have you been working here?"

~

They talked for all fifteen minutes before Kageyama was due to arrive. He learned that he was actually a student too, and he was also a freshman. It was just that he was "built like a wall, unfortunately," as Hiroshi put it. Hinata learned that Hiroshi's father came from America when he was only a baby, and he grew up in japan with adoptive parents. His mother, on the other hand, grew up just as her family did in Miyagi prefecture and ran the small shop for years before. Hiroshi always signed up to work at the counter on weekends, out of obligation to keep up the family business, although his mother and father encouraged him to pursue whatever he chose, and Hiroshi was beyond smart enough to do it. He had a good life when it came down to it, but he was burdened with a lack of ability socially. Hinata was nearly his exact opposite, which was why the two clicked immediately. By the time another customer came up to the counter, the two had exchanged phone numbers, smiling and waving away the other enthusiastically. Hinata spotted a table in the corner and grabbed his tea, then started to maneuver his way around the chairs and tables to get to it, but a hand found a firm grip on his jacket's collar.

"I'm right here, dumbass, where are you going?" Kageyama asked in half seriousness, his hair damp.

"I'm taking my coffee to a table! Come join me once you get your coffee," Hinata informed, grinning as the tired Kageyama loosened his grasp. Hinata wasn't quite sure where all of his smiles were coming from, especially with Natsu's condition still in the back of his head. With that reminder, his smiles were gone, and he made his way to the corner table he had spotted earlier with a new sadness: a new determination. 

He waited four minutes for Kageyama to order his black coffee with six sugars and three shots of espresso, suspicious of exactly how friendly his teammate and new friend were with each other. When Kageyama finally seated himself, Hinata had on a dismal expression.

"What's wrong?" Kageyama asked through a yawn that he'd tried his best to supress.

"Alright, I'm going to cut to the chase," Hinata said with a sigh. "Natsu... she's way worse. Worse than the doctors thought."

"What do you mean? Is it actually cancer?" Kageyama's breathing was unstable as he said the cursed word, but he hid it as best he could. He couldn't allow himself to make this harder for Hinata because of his own anxieties.

Hinata struggled to say the words. It felt like admitting defeat, like he was accepting that that was his actual reality. He knew he had to accept it, no matter how much it would hurt him to do so. If Natsu had to accept it, so did he. "Yeah. I-It's so far gone t-that they would need to put her through chemo that she basically would die from." He sunk into his arms, closing his eyes. He had to shut it out. The emotions that clung to him had no right to plague him as they did. After all, he was not the only me suffering. He had to say it— to accept it. If not for Natsu, for Kageyama.

"There's got to be some other way," Kageyama stumbled over his words.

Hinata, finally finding the resolve he had searched so hard for, replied in a voice as steadily as he could. "There is another way. She'll be fine," he said it as if to reassure himself rather than Kageyama. Hinata swallowed down as hard as he could, then let the words tumble out, "but the only other option is to amputate it."


	8. Hinata and Co.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata finishes his talk with Kageyama, and the very next day, he talks to Hiroshi.

Kageyama just gawked at Hinata as he took long sips of his tea, an array of feelings washing over him one by one.

First, disbelief. There was no way something like this could happen to them. They were all just normal high schoolers. They were supposed to go to Nekoma for a practice match in two weeks. They had more exams coming up. Cancer just wasn't something that could possibly show up in his life. Not in Hinata's, and not in his. And yet it had.

After he'd accepted it, all he wanted to do was stop it from happening. He thought that there must've been another way to deal with it. Natsu was an incredibly energetic girl, and she just couldn't live like that- not without a leg. It would slow her down too much. Just like if it were Hinata, thought Kageyama as he swallowed down that equally dismal idea.

Finally, it was pure uselessness. It was the realization of how he had no power over Hinata's situation, and it made him feel small. It made him feel weak. After all, if he couldn't the person he had previously discovered he had feelings for- his crush -then was he worth anything at all?

Maybe I am weak, he thought.

"Prosthetics are an option," Kageyama heard himself say. He was almost sure nothing had come from his own throat, but it sounded exactly like his own voice.

"We're planning on it," Hinata said, managing to pull one side of his lip into a small smile. "My mom is already talking with bio-technicians about fitting her for something. The doctors are plotting where to cut off the leg, and nurses are so nice it's... it feels like they feel bad for us. And to top it all off, Natsu doesn't even show that she's about to crash! She acts like she's fine, but I know she's not fine! I'm just the brother of who all this is happening to and I feel like... like -'FUCK!'" He nearly yelled the curse, and it made Kageyama flinch violently.

Kageyama was silent after the outburst, permitting him time to catch his breath, but spoke right after. "Natsu will reach out for help when she needs to. You just need to make sure she is completely understanding of your offer to comfort her."

Hinata heaved another deep breath, making sure to fill up his chest as best he could and clear his head on the way. "Yeah. That's actually pretty good advice, Kags," Hinata said with a tiny, nervous laugh.

"Kags?" Kageyama asked, a smirk flashing past his annoyed face. Hinata saw it and blushed, shoving down the odd feeling but only dragging it out for longer. That's new, Hinata thought with a shiver, though it was the acknowledgement of those feelings that was new, not the feelings themselves.

"Yeah! It's a better nickname than King to you, anyway, but I'll never know why. The King of the Court is such a cool name! And since you've been at Karasuno, you've completely redefined it!" Hinata raved on and on, but Kageyama was fed up as soon as he mentioned the new name.

"Okay, back to you. No "King of the Court" shit," Kageyama warned. It was difficult for him to even say it. He was having a hard time dealing with Hinata's recent troubles, much less his own, so that was much more than what was needed. "Kags it is."

Hinata beamed at that. "Kags? You really like it?" He asked, nearly teary-eyed.

"Yes, Hinata, it's fine," Kageyama said, "Now stop crying, what the fuck."

"I'm not crying!" Hinata said, pushing back tears that had gathered earlier and were finally about to spill over from their 'bonding moment.' "I'm really not!"

"Sure, whatever," Kageyama replied with an almost soft smile. "Now tell me what you got on the english homework. I want to compare answers."

The two exchanged answers of their English, Maths, and even History assignments from what they could remember, then immersed themselves in colorful conversation about the ordinary. It was refreshing to the both of them, since a distraction felt like exactly what they needed. Each of them knew exactly what reality they faced, but neither wanted to face it, so a mutual distraction was a gift to the two.

By noon that Saturday, they had decided that they should start getting home. Neither had given their parents notice to their leave besides quick texts, so they each knew it was imperative that they get home early. Besides, Hinata wanted to get the Hospital early so that he could comfort Natsu before the next wave of scans, x-rays and whatever else he figured the Docs would do it her.

As Hinata strolled down the road with his bike guided along beside him with one hand, him and Kageyama talking about whatever nonsense came to mind, he thought back to Harada, the boy he met at the counter of the café. He felt around in his pocket, looking for the slip of paper he'd received the number on, and put it in his phone's messages. He looked up to Kageyama, who still seemed to be ranting about some test he'd gotten a 68% on, and then looked down at his phone. He felt guilty texting him for some reason, especially in front of Kageyama. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to hide it, but the gut wrenching feeling that accompanied a sort of "oh, so he's your new best friend" confrontation made him squeamish.

Your Conversation with Harada Hiroshi, 12:34 pm

Hinata: Hey, do you want to hang out tomorrow?

With that, he shut off his phone, tuned back in, and prayed that he could trust this new boy in town.

~

The next day, Kageyama texted Hinata.

Your Conversation with Hinata, 2:44 pm

Kageyama: Hey, are you going to visit Natsu tomorrow? If you are, I want to go with.

His reply came shortly after the text was sent.

Hinata: Sure. I'm busy rn so I'll give you details later.

Kageyama thought to himself, What the hell? Hinata didn't say he was doing anything yesterday. They had just hung out, and surely Hinata would have told him if he had more plans for the weekend, because that was just who he was. It irked him. He must have been hanging out with someone else instead, and for some reason, he felt abhorred whoever it was. It was a sickening feeling, but he couldn't shake it off. Someone else was being all buddy-buddy with his friend— no, crush — and it was giving him no good feelings.

When he added that small detail, the one that made his cheeks gain color and his stomach swirl, he realized what it was.

Jealousy. He was jealous toward someone he didn't even know, and that information was like a punch in the gut.

He adjusted himself awkwardly on his couch, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to his chest. He tucked his head onto the pillow, groaning as images of Hinata enjoying himself with others passed by his mind. It is a terrible, wonderful, awful feeling to know you are in love. And he was suffering from it greatly.

~

Hinata sat at the same corner table of the small coffee shop, the same he had been at when he spoke with Kageyama, but rather than Kageyama sitting across from him, Hiroshi sat politely listening to Hinata's dramatic, but not at all inaccurate, tangent. (a/n: Oops long sentence)

Unfolding his life story, however stressful it felt to relay the details to his new friend, was like releasing tension from a muscle that had been cramped so long that the pain had become barely noticeable. When the pain finally stopped, it was like a new type of relief: one that truly set him free.

When Hinata finally came to current events, Hiroshi slouched back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Wow. That- that was a lot."

"I- uh, yeah, I'm really sorry to drop all that on you," Hinata apologized. "It's a lot for me to deal with, so it's probably just as much pressure on you. Oh, geez, I’m-”

"N-No! It's fine, seriously," Hiroshi responded, refusing his apologies. "I offered an ear. It's my fault, if anyone's."

"Well, I won't argue, but you're wrong," Hinata insisted with a small smile as he crossed his arms. 

Hiroshi laughed, a charming smile passing his lips. It reminded him of Kageyama's occasional smiles— the ones that he was only granted glances of. Those smiles felt like a blessing to Hinata during the roughest patches he passed through. "I won't argue either, but you're just as wrong," Hiroshi chimed.

"Nope, absolutely not!" Hinata jeered childishly. "But okay."

"Alright, anyway," Hiroshi led, "what's going on with you and Kageyama? You too went on some date yesterday ri-"

"ITWASN'TADATE!" Hinata interrupted, standing up to defend himself. The coffee shop went Deadly silent, and Hinata gulped as he sat back down. He waited for the shop to fill with sound again before he clarified, "It wasn't a date."

"I, o-okay. Yeah, got it," Hiroshi affirmed. "So, uh, how do you know him?"

"He's does Volleyball Club with me!" Hinata said. "What about you? Where do you know him?"

"H-He's been a regular for awhile. A couple years now, actually," Hiroshi answered promptly. "He used to just get coffee for his parents, but a few months ago he started getting stuff for himself."

"What does he even drink here?" Hinata asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Hiroshi was surprised by his confidence to just ask so directly for information like that, but he coughed up the information nonetheless. "He usually gets some kind of hot tea with a pastry, but recently, he's been getting a straight black coffee every morning after his morning run. It's kind of weird, since he doesn’t even like coffee."

Hinata was slightly startled by the amount of detail he added, raising his eyebrows in suspicion. Hiroshi pushed up his glasses awkwardly and pulled his dark purple sweater closer around himself, blushing in embarrassment. "I-I just pay close attention to regulars."

"Oh. Right, yeah," Hinata said, itching the back of his neck and forcing himself to laugh the moment off.

"Y-yeah," Hiroshi replied, slouching in his seat and brushing several of his dreads out from behind his ears to fall in front of his face. His skin was perfect, shining beautifully in the afternoon sunshine.

"You have really nice skin!" Hinata blurted out.

"I-I, uhh, thanks," Hiroshi answered. His eyes shifted from Hinata to a tall, muscular black man behind the counter with similar dreads and small but cute hooked nose. The only differences between the two were the girth of their muscles, Hiroshi's lighter skin tone, and the freckles that dotted Hiroshi's face. The man, who Hinata assumed was his father, waved a hand to signal the end of Hiroshi's break. "Sorry Hinata, but I don't have any time left. Got to get back to the counter."

"It's alright! I'll see ya later," Hinata said, giving Hiroshi a content smile. Hiroshi smiled back as Hinata grabbed his tea and walked out, a slight blush painting Hiroshi's cheekbones as his eye's followed Hinata out. 

As soon as Hinata has unlocked his bike from the rack that stood only a few meters away from the place, he mounted and started uphill. He kept his pace until he got onto a small downhill slope that should safely carry him to the bottom as it always had. During those moments, he got out his phone and texted Kageyama.

Your Conversation with Kageyama, 2:54 pm

Hinata: tomorrow night. Come with me after practice

He looked up from his phone, happy to have Kageyama with him through all of his life's dilemmas. When he looked to his left, his stomach filled with dread and his breath caught in his throat as he saw the small car barreling toward him, and it showed no sign of stopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t been very consistent with transferring some of this stuff!! I’ve had a lot of editing and revising to do, so it’s taking awhile. In addition, I’ve been fucking around with anime a lot lately so I’ve been kinda distracted.


	9. The Aftermath of a Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata heads to the Hospital. Kageyama eventually does too, but not without incident.

Crash.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his left calve. It blinded him for several moments as he felt his body limply tumble through the air and onto the ground, so when his sight returned and he found himself in the middle of the intersection, he wasn't too worried. The pain had taken all of his concern anyway, as he realized it must've been a break. He tensed as he comprehended what that meant for him.

"No volleyball!" Hinata groaned through gritted teeth. A middle aged woman came running from the small car that suddenly had a large dent in it's front and a broken headlight. Hinata hadn't noticed her approach in the slightest, his vision still fading in and out.

"Oh my god! Are you okay? I-I'm calling an ambulance," the lady said as she looked over Hinata's wound. Pieces of glass, some large and some small, were scattered in thick shards through Hinata's left calve, thigh, and hip. Blood stained his joggers in blotchy damp circles around the glass piece's in splotches of red, lines of it trailing down his leg. 

"I-I'll probably be fine, there's no need," Hinata hissed out, tears welling in his eyes despite his determination to suppress them.

The lady's eyes widened in horror. "Y-y-your legs s-say otherwise." She gawked at the wound.

Hinata looked down. The middle of his left calve looked like it had become concave. 

"Yeah, hehe, m-maybe they do."

And then, he passed out.

Thirteen minutes later, the red head woke up in an uncomfortable cot. His vision was still blurry from unimaginable pain, though it was much more dull, and he struggled through it to see what must've been the back of an emergency vehicle. Machines and medical equipment of all kinds surrounded him, and it felt almost like a scene from a movie.

"Hey-" Hinata said as loudly as his voice would allow, grinding his teeth together through the pain that continued. They hit a bump as he began the sentence, so he was cut off, but the others in the vehicle were just as keen to interrupt him.

"We're taking you to the Miyagi Prefecture Hospital." Said a man in a rusty, guttural voice.

"What's your name? Where are you from?" Asked a small woman who looked about fifty-six years of age

Hinata answered as smoothly as he could. "I'm Hinata Shōyō. I'm from the edge of town over here, about thirty minutes out by foot from Karasuno's High School," He said, shoving every vowel and consonant sound out of his mouth like they were a burden on his tongue.

One of the people leaning over him, the older man above his wound picking out the glass pieces, looked up to Hinata with a surprised and pleasant expression. "I know your mother."

"You do? That's— that's g-great," Hinata hissed out, the pain in his side searing like ice against a burn.

"Yes. Sweet woman, she is," he said absentmindedly, placing most of his attention on collecting the glass pieces.

"We're here! Take him out to EMC immediately." The woman then slapped a pieces of paper into the hand of another, quickly reviewing the events of the crash and Hinata's injuries to the new person, and he was taken into the hospital.

He didn't pay attention to the faces that passed him by, only staring at the ceiling and waiting for whatever would come. Non of it surprised him. He was blank, only taking in his surroundings and refusing to process them.

When he came to a stop, he was appreciative of the silence that the new person was employing. Hinata had learned how to endure the pain at that point, with drugs pumping through his system and distractions in every nook and cranny of his mind to aid that effort. Besides, his mother and sister were most definitely somewhere in that very same hospital, and Hinata could not stop thinking about it.

He had just been hit by a car, yet he could only worry about others. It can't be that bad, he thought to himself. Hinata didn't yet settle with the idea that he might have to tell his friends yet. Daichi, for sure, but only because he was the captain of the team. He knew he would have to tell Kageyama, but he was scared beyond belief to do so. He wanted Kageyama to know what had happened, but he knew he would get one hell of a verbal beating and he wasn't ready for it.

The drugs were wearing out, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep himself conscious.

And again, just as that thought had passed his mind, he passed out.

Several hours later, on another side of the Miyagi Prefecture, the Karasuno Volleyball #9 was hurrying to visit least favorite person at the moment: a certain red headed moron who once again had him worried sick.

"Okay. No, I wasn't there. Yes. I'm coming. Bye, Hinata-San." Kageyama hung up the phone and scrambled to get dressed, grabbing random items of unmatching clothes he found to shove over his head and around his torso, then headed out.

Kageyama was a ball of anger and nerves as he ran full-speed at 6 pm to the Hospital's bus stop to visit his idiot of a best friend. The he'd taken a fraction of the time he usually would with anxiety fueling his every step, and once he get there and climbed on, he could only dwell further on his friend's unthinking actions.

Of course Hinata Shōyō would get himself in an accident by texting on a bike while going downhill. Kageyama couldn't understand how Hinata could feel safe doing something like that. For God's sake, he'd only gotten some broken glass and a clean break in his calve and wasn't even conscious yet. He was lucky to have only broken a bone, and on top of that, to have avoided Kageyama's wrath for so long. 

Maybe not his wrath so much as his unadulterated concern, but still. Hinata would feel bad, surely he would.

Not that Kageyama wanted him to feel bad- Hinata had already been dealing with enough. Guilt laid heavy on his mind at the idea.

As the bus approached the Miyagi Hospital, Kageyama became jittery. His palms became sweaty and his hands began to shake, and the image of his Hinata lying flat on his back unconscious and bloody scared him more than anything. Though he knew that the blood would be gone by then, the bone set, and his consciousness regained, the image continued to upset him. The bus stopped, and he ran all the way to the hospital, and again when he was making his way to Hinata's room.

Before Kageyama could give Hinata a piece of his mind, he froze staring at what waited for him there.

Sitting with Hinata was the barista from his favorite coffee shop. It was the same one he'd befriended so long ago.

Hiroshi Harada sat in a chair right next to his cot, staring at Hinata kindly. He hated the way Harada looked at his friend. His best friend. His crush.

"Harada," Kageyama warned, a grimace on his face.

"Tobio," Harada replied, bowing his head as he got up to leave. Kageyama cringed when he heard him say his given name. "Y-Your friend seems well. He fell asleep about ten minutes ago, but he seems fine."

"Why are you here? What did you do?" Kageyama went off, shooting questions at Harada with threatening gestures.

"I didn't do anything, I swear. He's called me and told me what happened after he got hit. He assured me he was okay and everything— I’m not even the one who got hit,” Harada laughed uncomfortably. “It was sweet of him. He’s a good guy, a great one, really— but you don't need me to tell you that," Harada smirked as he finished that sentence, seeing the blush that Kageyama had formed in response. "Anyway, you have nothing to worry about, seriously," Harada finished slyly. 

"Whatever,” the setter said as he slipped through the crack in the door. “I bet you would have said the same thing about me, asshole," Kageyama contradicted with a stable voice and eyes narrowed down to slits. As Hinata stirred from his sleep and Kageyama could confirm to himself that the barista had truly left, he silently prayed that Harada meant every word— that Hinata really was perfectly okay.

~

Hinata opened his eyes groggily, groaning and grasping at the sheets underneath him with weak, shaky hands. He squinted at the bright hospital lights above him, grimacing at the strain it put on his eyes. He felt so warm and comfortable that he almost wanted to go back to sleep, but it seemed as if Hiroshi had been replaced, a taller, paler figure sitting where his new friend had sat before. 

"K-Kageyama?" Hinata stuttered, his tongue tying itself up like it had never been used for human speech before.

"Yeah. It's me," Kageyama said in a smooth tone, his posture showing his disappointment. Hinata flinched when Kageyama began to speak, but saw nothing of what he'd been trying to prepare himself for. There was no yelling, no hit over the top of the head, and most definitely no lecture, which was the strangest part. Harada had even warned him that Kageyama would probably be infuriated with him.

Then again, Harada seemed to only know the old Kageyama: the dictator, the ruler, and the King of the Court. He had changed a lot, and maybe this was apart of that metamorphosis.

Hinata tilted his head in confusion, keeping his vision focused on the boy in front of him. He leaned over himself and toward Kageyama, keeping a hand on the bed in front of him to steady himself.

"Is it you, though? Aren't you going to yell at me? Aren't you going to lecture me?" Hinata asked, his voice wavering.

"Yes, of course it's me, dumbass," Kageyama said quietly. "I just think you've been lectured enough."

"That's new," Hinata replied with a snort.

"What, you want to be yelled at? Is that it?" Kageyama said, cutting through the calm ambiance that had just settle around them. He sent a gaze Hinata's way that slashed him like a knife, a gash that made him want to flee from his presence, but he couldn't leave. Kageyama was the one in his space, after all.

"No, I don't," Hinata said complacently, looking down and lying back on his pillow once again. He faced the lamp on his bedside table with a deep, stubborn frown, and Kageyama sighed.

"I just don't want to hurt you more than you already have been," Kageyama whispered, hiding his light pink blush in his hair as he faced the door. Hinata's heart fluttered at the sincerity of his comment, but like it always did, it dropped right back down with a crash. He'd already had so much hurting him, but that all hurt his family far more. He felt pitiful lying there when his injury wouldn't be permanent.

Hinata grabbed a pillow from under his head and swung it around himself, propelling his body forward with the fierce motion, and smacking Kageyama in the side as hard as he could. It wasn't all that powerful, considering all the power in him was going to healing that bone, but it was enough to surprise him.

"Hey! What the hell?" Kageyama hissed, jumping back the slightest bit.

"That's for worrying about me like I-I'm some weakling!" Hinata grunted as he flew forward with the pillow again, this time smacking him over the head with the pillow. "You sound like you like me or something when you say stuff like that." Hinata finished his sentence with a forced laugh and smacked him again, the movements intended to disguise his blush. He just kept smacking him with the pillow, building and building and building upon Kageyama's frustration until he'd had enough.

Instead of hitting back, Kageyama got up from the bed and swiveled around to face Hinata. He grabbed his wrist and pulled Hinata up, their faces so close that Hinata could feel Kageyama's hot breath on his face. They stared each other down for a moment, Hinata's breath caught in his throat and Kageyama's rushing in and out of his lungs. Hinata's hazel eyes were wide and fearful as they looked into Kageyama's, but fear wasn't all that was hidden in his eyes. Kageyama looked deeper, searching Hinata's expression with one of his own that could only be read as focused, and found genuine concern in Hinata's face. Only Hinata could be held in such a vulnerable position and still hold worry for the person threatening him.

Kageyama threw Hinata's wrist aside, a red mark slowly appearing on Hinata's skin. "You're so oblivious, Hinata."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, his naivety stronger than before as he struggled to regain his calm.

"I..." Kageyama began, staring at Hinata fearfully. His heart was beating twice as fast and his mind became fuzzy. The hospital seemed insignificant. Harada seemed insignificant. Natsu was perfectly fine as far as he was concerned at that moment. For just that fraction of time, it was only him and Hinata, staring at each other in the deafening silence of the hospital, only the staggered breathing of the other to listen to.

"I... I have to leave."

"What? Why? You just got here!" Hinata said, raising his voice in panic.

"I just have to, boke! I'll come back later!" Kageyama yelled, making violent hand gestures. He panted for a moment, trying to calm his lungs. He looked up at Hinata as he did, and his heart broke when he saw the expression on Hinata's face: confusion, uneasiness, but most of all, hurt. He had hurt Hinata, and that sent a spear through his rib cage, shattering his heart. Kageyama said at a volume just above a whisper, "I'm sorry," before he scurried out of the room.

"Ugh! Fuck you!" Hinata huffed out before slamming his back down onto the cot as the door shut behind Kageyama. Hinata yelped awkwardly when his back hit the bed, pain shooting up from his calve. He'd already forgot about his latest injury.

In the hallway just outside of Hinata's room, Kageyama was frozen in place as Harada leaned lazily against the wall.

"Why are you still here? Were you listening?" Kageyama scoffed.

Harada held both hands up beside his head, donning an innocent expression. "I just wanted to listen and see what type of relationship you have with Hinata. Nothing else."

"That's non of your business, Harada," Kageyama informed as he began to walk past him, but Harada was on his tail in seconds. "Why are you still here?"

"There's no reason we can't talk a bit," said Harada. His tone became soft when he said, "and you can still call me Hiroshi."

"You're not my friend. You're not even an acquaintance," Kageyama replied cattily.

"O-Okay, fine, Harada it is then,” He swallowed down hard. “I wanted to talk about Hinata," Harada said, trying to straighten out his own tone.

"There's nothing to talk about," Kageyama said forcibly.

"Is there?" Harada said teasingly. "I know Hinata is oblivious, but I'm not. I didn't think you were ga-"

"I'm not! I'm not, I don't know what you're talking about." Kageyama interrupted in a yell.

"That kinda sucks," Harada replied with a dismal lilt, "because I could've sworn he told me how likes you," Harada jeered. Kageyama stopped as he began his descend of the stairs.

"Interested at all?" Harada insisted. Kageyama's lips curved down into a frown, his eyebrows nearly meeting the inner corners of his eyes. He locked eyes with Harada as he too stopped his descend of the stairs, but Harada smiled.

"What are you playing at?" Kageyama said threateningly. Once again, Harada threw his hands up beside his head, hoisting his imaginary white flag.

"Nothing, seriously. I just think you guys might, I don't know, be cute together," Harada said, continuing his descent of the stairs. Kageyama walked close behind, his eyes following Harada suspiciously.

"Sure," Kageyama said breathily as they neared the first floor.

"Really? 'Sure?'" Harada asked, almost excited that Kageyama would be so compliant with a statement like that.

"Yes, 'Sure.'" Kageyama said throwing his words at him like fastballs. "What's wrong with 'sure?'" 

"Nothing!" Harada squealed. "It's just- nevermind. It's fine," he shut himself up, opening the door to exit the hospital from the stairwell and following him out.

Harada's gaze examined Kageyama remorsefully, a sorry expression to compliment his stare. It was a moment of remembrance for Harada, and the only thing he could remember was regret.

"Hey," Harada called out, hoping Kageyama would heat him.

"What do you want?" Kageyama said, treading across the grass with disdain.

Harada swallowed the fear in his throat. "I'm sorry. I was an asshole back then. I shouldn't have done that, and I really am sorry."

"Sorry won't fix it," Kageyama spat, a sneer replacing his usual neutral face. The apology seemed sincere, though, and while he refused to express it, it relieved Kageyama.

Harada sighed, smiling sadly. "Right. Yeah."

"See ya," Kageyama yelled over his shoulder, beginning his jog to the bus station. His words sounded just a bit friendlier than before, but Harada figured it must've been the wind messing with his hearing. Only time would tell.

"See ya," Harada replied monotonously. Perhaps someday Kageyama would learn to forgive, but he hadn't yet earned a heart like Hinata's. ‘Whatever this is, whatever they are, it's going to be interesting,’ Harada thought as he made his way back to the coffee shop. His eyes kept going back to the hospital, pondering the condition of his new red headed friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this was edited when switching over to this platform and oh boy it took a minute.


	10. The Adults have a Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai and Takeda have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like the season one conclusion/season two beginning. Stuff is really going to pick up from here :)

Ukai sat at his family store's counter in a slump, reading a newspaper article far too old and far too boring to be any better a form of entertainment than the store and its lackluster customers. He glanced up from his paper to peruse his company: an old person wandering the corner of the store aimlessly as she searched for a beverage she couldn't quite put her finger on, and a middle aged women walking through an aisle browsing the ramen bowls, clutching her child's hand tightly.

Ukai moved his eyes back down to the newspaper, straightening it in his hands and grunting. That Sunday had been far too bland on his side of things, and as 9:45 was rolling by and the time to close up shop loomed nearer, the Karasuno Volleyball Coach was all out of ideas. The team was doing perfectly fine up until the Hinata family began to crumble, and to top it all off Hinata Shōyō had accumulated an injury serious enough to render him incapable of playing. It was already worrying the coach more than usual having Hinata at such low spirits, but with recent events, he didn't have Hinata at all. The whole team didn't have Hinata— not in any way like they used to.

The door flew open as a messy-haired, familiar fellow in glasses barged in. His chest lifted and fell hurriedly as he panted in frantic huffs. He hunched over himself with one hand holding his noodle limp body up against the wall, the other crutching himself from his knee. When he finally caught up with his breathing, he held his head up to meet eyes with the curious, but highly concerned, Keishin Ukai. "Hinata's in the hospital with a broken calve! It was a clean break so it should only be two months, but he's going to miss the winter prelimi-"

"I already know, Takeda. Daichi called me as soon as he heard," Ukai explained, standing up and laying his hands on the counter. He still looked bored, but with Takeda's dramatic entrance, he had become bored and awake.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Ukai said, disappointment weaved into his posture.

"What is the team supposed to do with him gone?" Takeda asked, anxiousness littering his tone. His eyes shot open and he scrambled to correct himself. "N-Not that Hinata is our only good player! He's just a very useful teammate in regards to our offense, so we may be at a disadvantage now without him."

"Yeah, I got that. I’m impressed you’ve got that much down,” Ukai said with a one-sided smirk. “I don't know what we're supposed to do yet." He sighed heavily then continued. "I feel like the team may turn out like Seijou without that Oikawa kid. Hinata is a major part of the team— for both moral and tactics. It's going to be hard, but I think Karasuno will pull through. Hinata and Kageyama aren't our only freak duo."

Takeda's eyes lit up with Ukai's concluding words. "Right! Asahi and Nishinoya have become bigger threats with both their individual power and their combined attacks, and Suga has been practicing his sets a lot lately too." His shoulders relaxed just slightly. "I'm sure we have no reason to be worried."

"Definitely not no reason," Ukai warned as he climbed around the counter, "but they've got it in them to push through, even without that freak quick. They'll be fine." He checked the store to see that the middle aged mom and the grandmother hadn't left their stations, then guided Takeda outside, lazily holding the furiously blushing man's hand.

He stopped and stooped against the store's glass window, sitting on the edge of the windowsill. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a snap of his lighter, the sudden dash of light dimly illuminating the porch area of the small convenience store. He held the fag to his lips and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly after removing it. Takeda watched the lax motions with wide eyes and his own lips shut tight, letting his vision linger on the man that stood several inches above him.

"W-Why'd you drag me out here?" The teacher stuttered out, one hand held against the windowsill for support.

"I wanted to take a break, and I figured that you didn't want to buy anything, so why leave you in there," he replied, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"Okay, fair enough." Takeda muttered his reply shyly. He sunk into his own chest, gulping down the nerves that nibbled at his overactive, and at that moment overly romanticizing, brain. "So, uh, how was work at the shop? Didn't seem too busy today."

"Practically no one. Sunday's are never particularly busy. Today I was real happy about that." 

"When did Daichi call you?" Takeda asked.

"Around Four. He sounded winded. I'm not sure if he's told the team yet. I figure that they'll all know when he doesn't show up Monday. Daichi will explain it them," Ukai answered, shifting his gaze to Takeda, "and if he doesn't, then I know someone will, but it won't be me."

"I'll explain if they need someone to, but I doubt they will. They take care of each other. We won't need to step in on that."

"I've got that," Ukai said, sighing as he took the cigarette to his mouth. Takeda watched Ukai's lips form around the fag as he breathed in, and as he drew it away from his mouth slowly. For some reason, his eyes stayed put on Ukai's lips. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No! No, it's nothing," Takeda stuttered out, holding his hands out in front of him and shaking his head defensively. He stopped and took his spot against the windowsill once again. "A-Anyway, how are the Hinatas doing?"

"Not too good." He took one last drag of the cigarette then put it out on his jeans, throwing it in the nearest trash bin. "I've offered to help out in any way I can, except money, but Shōyō's mom refuses to accept any help. He hasn't slept since last fucking week, and his little sister is about to lose a leg. To say the least, they're not doing great."

Takeda looked at the ground uncomfortably, his Adam's apple bobbing noticeably. "They've had every possible bad thing that could happen right now happen. It's unfortunate, but-"

"How can you add 'but' to a situation like theirs?" Ukai asked, spitting the words into the night threateningly. He threw the words out like a question to the forces running the universe— to whatever God was listening. Anyone would have wanted an explanation from whatever was letting all of that happen by that point. They'd endured so much that they were long past due for some sort of reason for the Hinata family's suffering. Takeda took the pause as an opportunity to continue.

"But I know Hinata wouldn't let something as little as an injury slow him down, and neither will the rest of their family." Takeda let his lips lift at the left corner, allowing Ukai to see the quaint smile that had formed. He surveyed his optimism openly, watching in silent admiration as Takeda let his mouth move faster than his mind, leaving him no time to elaborate past what he managed to get out. "Besides, they have us. Hinata has his team, he has Kageyama— he'll come through, just like he always does."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Ukai replied with an almost positive tone. He looked back up at the moon in all it's glory, a bright contrast against the dark of the night sky, and smiled despite his previous worries. Takeda stared up at it curiously, his eyes jumping between the coach and the bright sphere. Ukai admired the moon as he lied back against the window, a short sigh escaping. 

A customer knocked on the glass— the middle aged woman with her child in tow —and it woke Ukai from his daydream. "That's the end of my break." He began to walk back in, groaning softly as he realized the day was not yet done, but he turned to wave goodbye to the teacher he'd spent his break with. "See ya tomorrow."

"Yep. See you tomorrow," Takeda replied with a smile before be began his walk down to his car. The look Ukai had given him sent a shiver down his spine, even as Ukai was already in store, thoughts of the other male long gone.

As Coach Keishin Ukai scanned the lady's items, sliding her credit card down its scanner afterward, he still thought about what the Club Advisor had told him. 'He has his team, he has Kageyama— he'll pull through, just like he always has.' Admittedly, the thought put a smirk on his usually uneventful features, and it reminded him of the strength within not only the sport, but the team. They'd built strong relationships with one another, and while it was certainly those days that tested them, it was also those days that would one day give them drive. Day by day, they would push through this trial, and day by day, they would get closer to success— whether that meant winning the first two matches of the upcoming preliminaries, or winning whatever battles they were dealing with at home. Step by step, one foot in front of the other, they would solve these problems together.

Still, between Hinata and Kageyama, the team had more than enough strength, companionship, and competition to last the Karasuno Volleyball Club a lifetime.


	11. “You should be resting.”

Monday morning came, the beginning of the countdown to the party, and Hinata was already pushing his luck. 

Kageyama, slouched over the volleyball in his hand with eyebrows so far bent forward they seemed to make a 90 degree angle with his eye lids, stared at Hinata in absolute disbelief as he sat on the sidelines doing knee pushups— an exercise he could barely pull off with the thick blue cast on his left calve.

Hinata just continued his pushups, averting his eyes as a sweat broke out on his lower back. Kageyama could barely keep his own eyes away from the exposed skin. He tried to silence his overactive teenage brain.

"What the hell are you doing here at morning practice when you don't have to be here?" Kageyama asked in a sharp tone. "You can't even practice."

Hinata put on an offended face, pausing with his arms held straight. "I can still be at practice, I just can't... y'know...practice." His face contorted in confusion, evidence of his analysis of his own words. He quickly shook it off. "I can exercise as much as I want though! Besides, I thought you were still mad at me," Hinata retorted then dropped down slowly for another pushup. 

"I didn't say anything about you exercising, I just don't understand why the hell you're here if you don't have to be! You should be resting," Kageyama told him threateningly. He paused before he addressed the anger he was supposedly still harboring. "And yeah, I am still mad!" Hinata pouted at that, tilting his brows forward as he dropped down to rest. 

"Gyah!" He yelled as he dropped down a bit to fast, his casted leg nearly slapping against the ground. 

"Hinata!" Kageyama scolded, sliding onto his knees as he went to assist the redhead. 

"I don't need your help! I'm fine," Hinata panted, trying time and time again to push himself into a sitting position against the wall, his left leg shaking violently. Kageyama sighed, a grimace on his face.

"You can't even get yourself back on your ass," Kageyama noted, annoyed at the boy's determination to get up by himself. He cringed at Hinata, hoping that he would just let him help. It was almost painful watching him struggle, reaching his right leg up to push up on but failing each time as he hit his cast on the ground, a grunt sounding from the boy. He tried to shift his weight to his stomach, lying flat on the ground with his legs held as high up behind him as he could muster, then flopped onto his back in one sloppy motion, finally in a more easily maneuverable position. He could do nothing but pant once there.

"Yes, I can," Hinata wheezed. Kageyama couldn't help but be slightly impressed after watching Hinata struggle, the pain of hitting his cast on the ground nearly paralyzing him before. Still, his sass remained.

"Yeah, I see that now. You could've easily hit your leg again, and if you were unlucky it could've done much more than hurt for a bit," Kageyama lectured.

"I know that," Hinata grumbled in return. He glared at the taller male as he pushed himself up and dragged himself over to the wall where his crutches were propped up (ba dum pshh), but Kageyama seemed unbothered by his stare. Unbothered or not, he got the point, and took his attention away from the redhead.

Footsteps came from outside the gymnasium, one set tired yet sturdy and the other light and bouncy. They belonged to non other than Asahi Azumane and Nishinoya Yū, the pair prancing in together in their practice uniforms with lazy grins slapped on their faces.

"Oooh, Kageyama," Noya sang with hands held up at either side of his mouth to amplify his volume, "What are you doing on the ground tenderly nursing Hinata back to health?"

"I'm not doing anything," Kageyama hissed, rising from the ground to join the able-legged. "Also, why are here so early? And with Asahi-Senpai?"

"No reason," he waved off the question with his usual smirk, but a small bead of sweat could be seen running down his face. He avoided Asahi's nervous eyes, and regained his composure. Noya, coming back to his usual form in no time at all, eyed the cast on Hinata, an unsettled expression flashing past his face for only a moment. His eyes shifted back to Kageyama. "He doing okay?"

"Better," Kageyama responded in a low, finalizing tone. It was clear he had nothing else to say on that matter.

"Good. Now let's go set up!" Noya gleamed as he instructed the underclassman, feeling a hundred feet tall with Kageyama, and for some strange reason Asahi as well, in tow. 

Hinata's eyes followed the group, envy racking his entire being. He wanted more than anything to join them. Volleyball used to be his escape. As Natsu got more settled with the permanent solution for her cancer, Hinata was able to as well, allowing him to return home earlier, sleep a little bit more, and gain back some of his Volleyball energy. He still found most of it mundane— the receiving, the blocking, the setting, and practically anything else that didn't have him spiking —but any opportunity to hit the ball from its highest point, the twack of the ball against his hand sending exhilarating sparks through him, was exciting enough to bring him back to practice and take his mind off family stressors. 

However, after his date with ongoing traffic, he could no longer find solace in Volleyball. It was like a smack to the back of the head every time he had to think about the casted leg and what it meant for the sport, but just watching would have to be enough. It provided him enough comfort to come back to practice, just for the familiarity of it all.

"Hey, Hinata. What are you doing here?" Hinata jumped at the sound of Sugawara's voice, and turned to see him standing at the door with Daichi not far behind him. Suga waved his hand to tell Daichi he could leave, to which he sent Suga a questioning gaze.

"Hey, glad to see you up," Daichi greeted before walking off to join the others in setting up. Hinata waved and smiled in return then faced Sugawara to answer his question.

"I'm doing better," Hinata confessed. It felt good knowing that those words were true.

"That's great! I'm really glad to hear it." He grinned at Hinata, a genuine display of care and affection, and it made Hinata grateful. He was so glad to have a Senpai— a friend —such as Sugawara. "Anyway, I heard from Kageyama that you two hung out this weekend. Was it after that that you broke your leg?"

"Oh, uh, no, it wasn't," Hinata replied, taken aback by the question. For one, he was surprised to hear that Sugawara was already aware that Kageyama had informed him. As far as Hinata knew, Sugawara and Kageyama hadn't met up that weekend, although it was perfectly possible that he had told Sugawara over text. Even so, it was strange that the two were sharing information like that. For two, He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to reveal Hiroshi to the team yet. After all, they'd just met, and he wanted to keep Hiroshi as a separate part of his life: an escape from his life's anxieties. "I went out the next day and when I was coming back, that's when it happened." He explained.

"Oh, okay," Suga commented in understanding. "Well, I should join everyone now. I'll talk to you at lunch, okay?" Hinata nodded and dragged the corners of his lips up into a smile, then pushed himself up using the wall to eat onto his feet. He grabbed the crutches and stood, watching as Suga greeted the rest of the team. 

Soon after, the other members of Karasuno greeted Hinata as well: Yamaguchi said hello and offered a "get well soon" from himself and Tsukishima, Ennoshita nodded in acknowledgment and good intent, Ryū gave him an energetic "good morning," and even Narita said hello. Strangely enough, not a single one made a comment on his cast. Hinata was more than grateful for the sparse attention the wretched thing was receiving, but it left him feeling suspicious. The feeling lingered through the entirety of practice, but he was not without distraction.

As Daichi gathered everyone at the front for Ukai to give direction for that day's practice, Hinata felt a hand tap his shoulder. He yelped, jumping in surprise, and heard a noise of equal surprise— a much more feminine noise at that.

"Yachi?" Hinata asked, slightly exasperated but glad to see her. At Yachi's other side, Shimizu stood tall and stoic, listening politely to the conversation of her underclassmen.

"Y-yeah, it's me," she stuttered out. Her eyes followed down the boy's leg until they rested upon his cast. "What happened?"

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, but he went through his explanation smoothly nonetheless. "I kinda maybe ran my bike in front of a car, and it didn't stop."

"Oh! Oh- You got hit by a car?" Yachi exclaimed, fear in her eyes as she imagined the experience.

"I-I wasn't conscious most of the time so it wasn't that painful," Hinata said in an attempt to alleviate Yachi's worry. He did nothing of the sort.

"You weren't even conscious?!" She hissed.

"I mean, not most of the time, no?" Hinata replied, his shoulders rising to touch his ears as squeaked out his response. Yachi wasn't even facing him at that point, staring anxiously at the ground and shaking as she held herself close. 

Shimizu placed a hand on Yachi's shoulder and smiled reassuringly at the blonde, to which she relaxed and straightened, slowly taking back her previous composure. "At least you're alright," Yachi sighed, smiling. "You didn't die! That's good!

"Yeah! I didn't die," Hinata repeated. Oddly enough, it didn't feel like a victory. It didn't feel like a loss either. It was simply life taking its course, but he put on a triumphant smile and faced Yachi to show his agreement— although that wasn't quite how he felt.

"Glad to see it," Shimizu piped in, gaining the ogling eyes and blushing faces of the two first years. They shook off their overwhelming admiration for their beautiful third year manager. Yachi, however, still couldn't shake off one thought in particular— a question, rather: Why has Hinata been acting differently? It was easy to see he wasn't as energetic, nor was he as motivated. The question plagued her, but she hasn't the courage or the time to get it out.

"How was your weekend?" Hinata asked Yachi, distracting the blonde from her intruding questions and guiding their conversation to much more comfortable topics. They talked all the way through practice, watching the boys jump and run and bounce ball all around the room. They dodged the stray volleyballs when they needed to and made comments on strategy when one saw the opportunity. Overall, it was a pleasant morning, and for Hinata especially, a very good view.

They were nearing the end of practice, and Kageyama was front and center. He was sending balls up to meet people's hands exactly, practicing his pinpoint precision, and each time he rose and fell with a jump his shirt lifted just enough to reveal his delicately muscled loser back. Each peek Hinata dared to steal took his breath away, his cheeks flushing as he imagined the rest of it. The girls pretended not to notice his staring, the way his eyes tediously followed the boy's movements, but it was beyond difficult. He swallowed, turned away, and refocused on the two beside him.

By the time practice finally concluded, Hinata's one leg was burning from overuse. He had decided not to let himself rest, giving him a good chance to build muscle, but he could barely hold himself up without the crutches by that point. He shifted onto his crutches, panting after he pulled off the small feat.

With the image of Kageyama and his sweat soaked muscles fresh in his mind, Hinata rushed out of the gym and to his first hour class, offering a wave of farewell to Yachi and Shimizu as he did. In that same moment, he caught Kageyama's curious gaze— the very one that made his stomach do somersaults and his mind go fuzzy —but he could do nothing but look away, swallow down the raging fluttering of his chest and walk off to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are going to be slow! Sorry guys

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this far! There’s more fluff and angst to come though, so please consider bookmarking, leaving a Kudo, or leaving a comment with your thoughts! Much love


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